Whispers of Promise
by Vivacie
Summary: Is it right to be with the person you love or the person you were meant to be with? Evie finds herself living in La Push, secrets surround her, Twilight is real, and what she thought wasn't possible is. Werewolf/OC
1. Wistful thinking

My very first attempt at fan-fiction, ever.  
I hope that you will read on and enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

**Pairings:** Werewolf/OC

**This story was created _before _Breaking Dawn was released and does not follow its story line and/or canon pairings.**

* * *

**May-24**

Things used to be so simple, uncomplicated by trivial things. If there was one thing that I hated the most, it would be the ability for humans to make even the simplest things the most complicated of sorts. Personally, I preferred simplicity, but I liked clutter as well, which makes absolutely no sense.

I stared around me, pinning my gaze on everyone; no one would go unnoticed by me. My hands were scrunched in my lap, and I was constantly reminding myself that it was big open space. Claustrophobia was my downfall at times like this.

Where was I? Oh, yes, on my way to Washington. By myself on a plane, I might add, because I refused to ride all the way to Washington with _her_, my mom. I just don't understand why we had to move, though. My mom was born on a reservation- even though she was only half Quileute- somewhere near Forks, and I was being forced to move back up there with her to a town with the name of a utensil. I tried my hardest to get out of it, I mean it's not like I didn't want to go to the place that held mythical creatures in _Twilight_, but Alabama was my home.

Sure, I might hate the hot weather, the stickiness, the abundance of bugs, and the constant sunshine, but there were things I loved. Alabama held my dad. Poor dad, he received divorce papers not to long ago, hence as to why I'm moving. But dad, he always told me stories of his heritage, my heritage. He was part Creek Indian, he was tan, but didn't look too much like an Indian, he thought he did though, and I wasn't going to burst his bubble. He used to tell me my great -to however many degrees- grandfather was chief of the tribe and gave the tribe to his brother so he could go fight in a war- an act of braveness. I would always get frustrated that dad couldn't remember the name of our tribe or the chief. It was just an old story passed down from generation to generation, but to me it was so much more.

Dad had no say if I stayed with him or not, mom had custody and wasn't willing to leave me unsupervised. That was another thing I didn't get. I was almost eighteen, a high school graduate, and now I was forced to move from the only place I could call home. I was more than capable of taking care of myself.

"You would think parents might actually want encourage their child to be independent." I muttered incoherently, answering my thoughts aloud.

So, here I sat, my hands fidgeting with everything and my eyes scanning the passengers. The woman next to me kept eyeing me as if I was going to go into hysterics. Which would be possible, but I could keep my mind occupied for the time being. At least, I really hoped I could.

This flight was way to long. I hated waiting. Waiting. It was certainly not a virtue of mine and I had gotten in trouble on multiple occasions because of it. Certainly, I was capable of tolerating it, but after a few minutes, I could find myself practically blowing steam out of my ears in anger. I didn't like to think I had anger issues, I saved all my pent up frustration for special moments, like when mom was being utterly ridiculous. Which was most of the time.

Turbulence interrupted my thoughts. Great, now I'm going to be jolted to death why I try to deal with everything else. I silently cursed to myself and stared out the window. Even from up here, all I could see were clouds. Dark grey clouds that stretched endlessly. I smiled, if only just a little, at the thought of constant rain and clouds. Something to look forward too.

My thoughts strayed once again. What was this La Push supposed to offer? New friends? A potential boyfriend? I didn't have great luck with guys. In fact, I only dated once during my whole high school phase. Even then, I only dated him for a week. I was terribly afraid of commitment, but I did want to settle down and feel loved at some point in my life. Reality griped at me, who was I kidding. Me, Evie, settle down with someone? Really? It was a fact that I might possibly be alone for the rest of my life- the crazy woman with cats as friends- left me feeling a little down.

I did realize that I was only seventeen and that life had yet to unfold it greatness in front of me. What was it waiting for? By the time I did find someone, I would be old and wrinkly. I'd no longer have my dirty blonde/brunette hair, my hazel eyes would be obscured by glasses the size of coke bottles and I would be all _saggy_. I shivered at the thought and grabbed at my waist length hair. How I would miss it when I became older!

The captain called over the intercom signaling in a few short minutes we would be landing in Seattle. Oh joy. I wasn't excited to move to the reservation. Not like most people, or Twilighters I should say, would be. No, I was dreading it. I knew enough about Washington that I was almost _afraid_ of being there- it was completely irrational. "The Twilight Saga" had filled my head with vampires, not just any vampires, but vampires that would kill you in one simple motion. Sure, you had the vegetarian vampires, but I still couldn't see them as Bella had. I was more of a werewolf fan, I had been since reading Eclipse, and I had fallen head-over-heels for Jacob Black. Maybe he was a little forceful, but deep down I knew that if he were real, he was a good soul. I could almost see the daydream playing out, I would be walking side by side with Jacob, his abnormally large hand covering mine, and his intense body heat creating sparks between us. Yes, I would be extremely happy, but then there was Seth and Paul, which I liked equally too. Talk about more the merrier!

I shook my head to clear up my little fantasy. It was never a good thing when you were daydreaming about supernatural _and_ fictional characters, especially when a person was in my position, one who has had no boy experience and who constantly fantasizes over characters from a book! I'd be lucky to even meet someone with the same name as the characters, but what if? What if I could meet the characters and talk with them? Obviously, I'd have to control my drool from the amount of skin that would be shown at all times. I can see it now…

My right hand slapped my forehead before I could go any further into that little story. The plane was touching down and I had to bite down on my lip to keep from screaming aloud, but then I remembered that _if_ there were vampires in Washington that I'd need to do everything in my power not to bleed at any given time. Ugh, I was such a loser. There were no supernatural beings in Washington and if there were, they had better stay the hell away from me.


	2. Unexpected Encounter

My legs dragged as I got off the plane and headed toward my mother. My luggage was already at the house, taken care of by the movers, the only thing I carried with me was a messenger bag that contained my laptop, camera, necessities, a book or two, medicine, and candy. I _always _carried candy with me; I have Hypoglycemia so I had to be extra careful about how often I eat or what I ate. Unlike most people, I couldn't skip meals.

The usual perkiness of mom showed through as I stalked toward her.

"Aw, baby doll, how was the flight?" Her right arm was around my shoulder and we were walking toward her red 2008 Pontiac G8. It stuck out like sore thumb. She liked to have the latest things, or at least the things that she liked. I would give her a month and she'd be trading it in for a newer one.

"Horrible. Claustrophobia is _not _my friend." She gave me a reassuring squeeze and let me go so we could both climb in.

"Has my Jeep arrived yet?" I begged for a yes. My dad had bought me silver '04 Jeep Liberty from a friend who was upgrading. He had told me that it was for my benefit and a late graduation present, he didn't want my mom to have to drive me everywhere.

"Yeah, honey, it has. I don't understand why you like that big old thing. A sedan would be much better for a little thing like you." She made an apologetic face and turned her attention back towards the road. I always thought my mom was beautiful. Her dark brown hair was always in loose curls and she barely applied makeup over her russet like skin, she didn't need it. I couldn't remember a moment where she hadn't been beautiful. I could only hope I would receive her good genes and would age just as gracefully. Unlike me, she was more traditional in Quileute looks, I was the weird mixed breed, but I had to admit, my eyes could be fascinating at times, going from gold to green to an array of browns and in-betweens.

"So, where are we living again?" My tone was a little harsher than I intended it to be, but she politely ignored it.

"La Push. I've told you over and over again. Nothing goes through that head of yours."

"Maybe it's cause I didn't wanna move here in the first place." I grumbled inaudibly.

"Anyway, we'll be living in a cute little house. I mean, it's little, really little, but comfortable. You're boxes are already in your room waiting for you to unpack." A flicker of emotion passed over her face. "Oh, you're gonna love it here, Evelyn. Don't worry, you'll make lots of friends, and I'm sure you can find a job somewhere close. You're a smart girl, you'll figure this out."

I figured there was a double meaning to her words, usually there was. She liked to keep my brain working, always making little puzzles for me to figure out, stashing things in other places leaving hints on where they might possibly be. It was aggravating. Lately, I just put my foot down and demanded that she explain to me what she's talking about, but I felt drawn to this little game. I would let her continue on with the double meanings and clues.

My gaze went to the window; every square inch of this place was covered with trees and just an overall green color. Alabama was like this, except there were browns and oranges to even things out, but here it was another story. It was crazy, but yet startling beautiful, like looking through a green filter. Mom then proceeded to babble on about La Push, it seemed we would be staying pretty close to the beach and that made living here much more bearable.

Sooner than I would have thought- thanks to my moms manic driving- we were in La Push. I had giggled like a school girl when we passed into Forks and I couldn't wait to tell my friend, Leann, about it. Passing through Forks, where the famous Bella Swan lives, well, in the fictional Forks setting, that is, it was a dramatic moment and I knew I would have to take loads of pictures in the future. Ugh, I taking this Twilight thing way to seriously.

Around one in the afternoon, we reached the little house that was destined for us to live in.

"Home sweet home!" My mom sang as she parked the car and ushered me out.

It reminded me of an old plantation house- which I loved so much, except it was a lot smaller. It had a certain charm, it was white with large blue shutters, and a well rounded porch. I could definitely get used to it. I imagined that I would spend some of my time on the porch. I wonder if I could talk my mom into getting a swing for the porch. That was high up on my list of things to do.

As I walked toward my new home, I noticed that flowers lined the walkway and my beautiful jeep was pulled off on the other side of the house. I resisted the urge to get in it and drive away. I had no doubt in my mind that I could find my way back to Alabama, but I couldn't do that to my mom, it would be unfair and it would also put my father in a compromising position.

"Stop dragging around." Mom grumbled as she held open the door for me.

I stopped dead center of the door. This house _was _really small. I smiled at my mom and continued, grimacing slightly at the too small kitchen and the living room. When we had lived with my dad, we had a nice two story house, with rooms twice the size of this living room and kitchen put together. They both liked to entertain, but their jobs were so demanding that they didn't spend even a forth of their time there.

"My room?" I asked as nicely as I could. She pointed to the room at the end of a narrow hall. I braced myself as I opened the door, but was pleasantly surprised. It was bigger than I had imagined it. Lace curtains lined the windows letting grey light filter through them, an off-white color was painted on the walls, and the closet was larger than I would have imagined and to my left was my very own bathroom.

"I gave you the master bedroom." I glanced up and felt a small smile spread across my lips.

"Thanks mom, but you know, I don't need a huge room."

"If I want to sleep at night you do."

I scowled in her direction and faced the mountain loud of boxes which were piled on the right half of the room. This was going to be enjoyable. At least I had labeled the boxes on what was within them.

Something warm and fuzzy started to rub itself along my legs. I looked down, momentarily stunned that mom had brought Sassy with us. Sassy was my dads cat, but I always had a certain fondness for the silly creature.

"Your dad told me that you could have her. He said you would need the company." Even I could see that my mom was silently cursing the man she once loved, but I bet he still holds part of her heart.

"Well, I'm glad she's here." I flopped on the bed and casually looked out the window. I thought I could see some kind of body of water in the far distance. I didn't need to start unpacking just yet, I could go talk to Leann for awhile and show her the view. "Hey, mom. We're just a little bit away from the beach, right?" Her head slowly moved up and down. "Well…" I drew out the word and glanced back out the window, "I'm gonna go check it out, alright? I'll be back in a little bit."

She smiled shyly at me. "Sure, but be back before dark Evie."

I nodded quickly and ran out the door. My messenger bag was hitting my thigh, which I held still with my right hand as I jogged toward the crashing waves. It only took a few minutes and I was now standing at secluded spot on the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. There was a certain magic here, I could feel it and I knew I would spend as much time down here as possible. A few beams of sun shown through the thick grey clouds, my grandma always called them Jesus beams. I smiled at the memory and sat in the sun.

Carefully, I pulled out my laptop and waited for it to boot and started to set up my webcam. My favorite wallpaper appeared, one with me and Leann with our noses stuck in the Twilight books, looking lost and very cute. I clicked on my yahoo messenger and it immediately launched the program, I grinned when I saw she was online. I double clicked, and then selected webcam. This is the way we talked when I was off somewhere, it was just like talking to her face to face, it felt right and I was suddenly extremely homesick.

Her steady voice came in from my speakers.

"Evie! I was wondering if you were ever going to get in touch with me!" She was pouting and I laughed at such a face.

"Well, you know it takes forever to get here." I gestured to my surroundings and she gasped.

"You're…you're there?!" I nodded. "Where exactly are you at?"

"Um…if I'm not mistaken, First Beach. Wanna see?"

"Of course. All my fantasies are there. This is going to make them so much more vivid."

I snorted and explained to her my daydreams which I had had on the place; she just laughed and demanded that I show her the beach. I positioned the computer around and focused the webcam on the beach.

She squealed in delight. "It's just how I imagined it, but better." I slowly panned around the area until it fell back on me again. I sat where the water was behind me and I was facing the woods.

"This place is like a dream. I started screaming when we made our way through Forks."

"I bet. I thought you were dreading moving there though?"

"I was, I still am, but it just happened to be where one of my favorite stories takes place. I'm allowed to get a little happy every now and again."

"Sure you are."

"So, what about you and that guy? How did that work out?" Leann was gorgeous; she had guys falling at her feet. She stood at a little above 5'11, brown hair, with ice blue eyes and pale skin. She was literally the Snow White of this century.

"Ugh, don't get me started, but basically he broke his promise to me. Now he's mad at me for his mistake." Her eyes rolled and she smiled appreciatively.

"Leann, don't get _me_ started. You could do so much better. What about what's his name?"

"Ew, no, not him."

"Rocker dude? The one with long hair?"

"Girlfriend."

"Wow, I don't remember the rest."

"What _rest_?" She grumbled lightly, and then smiled again as if it had been forgotten, "Now, what about you? You found any hot guys? If you have, please share."

I smirked. "I would keep them all for myself." I stuck my tongue out and sighed. "No, you know I have the absolute worst luck when it comes to guys. Ever after is just a fairy tale. It's amazing, I've thought more about my dating life today than I have in my entire life. Whatever." I waved my hand dismissively. Boy problems were the least of my worries.

"Don't be like that, Evie." She growled and yelled something towards her stairs. "Hey, sorry I gotta go and eat dinner, it's already five here. I'll talk to ya later. Love you and miss you."

"Love you too. I'll come to visit you soon. Bye." I sounded sullen and I bet Leann could hear it as well.

"Bye."

The screen where the cam was went black and I shut down the computer.

I started to grumble about everything and anything that came into my head. If there had been some people around here, I'm sure they would think the new girl is a total lunatic. Honestly, they might be on to something.

"Hi there." A rather low pitched voice called behind me. I turned quickly to see a handsome man, or was he a teenager? He had a youthfulness and a spark of happiness about him. It seemed utterly contagious and boy was he tall as an oak tree!

"Hi." My voice squeaked, hell, I sounded really shy.

"You must be the new girl, Evelyn, right?"

Shock flitted across my face and I just nodded. This guy knew my name and he wasn't running from me. What a day!

"Ah, well, I'm Seth, nice to meet you!" His megawatt smile brightened everything around me and he gestured to sit down, again all I could was nod. "So, did you just get here or what?" Was his niceness never ending? How can one person be so thoughtful and happy? _He could be a murder_, the dark thought crawled itself from the back of my mind.

I snapped out of my reverie, I had to answer this _guy_ who was still smiling and expecting an answer. "I just arrived not even an hour ago."

"I see. I would be happy to show you around. I'm here all by myself until the pac- I mean my friends get back. They would love to meet you. They're out on business right now though." He seemed to struggle with his emotions. Had he wanted to go with them? Why was he stuck here? I wanted to ask, but I decided I had better not pry. After all, I didn't even know the guy.

"Mhm, I guess I would like that." I answered both of his questions with one sentence and smiled back.

We then started to talk about anything that came to mind. Old N64 games, the good cartoons that used to come on TV Saturday mornings, and music. Apparently, he had an impressive game collection of classic games- the kind you couldn't even get your hands on anymore. We even made plans for me to come to his house tomorrow and he gave me directions. Apparently, he lived just a few streets from me. What was the harm in visiting him? Besides the fact that I barely knew him? He also talked about how he was working at night, just until his friends returned from wherever they had went. It was so weird the way he spoke about his friends that I decided to bring it up.

"Your friends, they're a lot like you?" I asked innocently.

He nodded. "Yup, I'm pretty much the shortest, besides Collin and Brady. Sam and…Jacob are the tallest, along with Paul, Embry, Jared, and Quil." Seth had struggled with the name Jacob, as if it was some bad memory.

"Golly. I can't imagine anyone being taller than you." Then it hit me. Seth, _Jacob_, Sam…werewolves? Why hadn't he mentioned Leah? No, no, this isn't right. Werewolves do _not _exist. It's not possible. I refuse to believe that this nice boy is a werewolf. He is huge though, I mean huge, he easily towered over my puny five foot four by almost another foot. The names had to be nothing more than a mere coincidence. It was wrong and unhealthy to think otherwise.

"Are you all right? You're shaking pretty bad."

"Huh?" I lifted my left hand and sure enough, it was shaking. My blood sugar must be low, stressing over whether this boy was a werewolf or not hadn't helped any nor had not eating since breakfast. I reached into my bag and pulled out a Snickers bar. "Want one?" I asked Seth.

"Sure." I handed him one and tore into mine and ate it as quickly as possible. "Were you that hungry?" He said through laughter and bites of his candy bar.

"Naw, I'm not hungry at all." He gave me a questioning look. "I have Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, so when I don't eat, or I get freaked out or something, I start shaking. On occasion I've passed out, but I'm pretty good at controlling it now." Now I'm blabbering, wonderful.

"Oh…sorry."

"Don't be, it runs in the family." I shrugged and continued to stare out into the water. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence with Seth and even though I swore he wasn't a werewolf it made me wonder. _What if_. Then I saw the irony in me having low blood sugar and shaking uncontrollably. I shook my head and held back a laugh.

"Whoa, I need to be heading home." Seth jumped up and dusted off his shorts, at least he had a shirt on.

"Oh, same here. I still have to unpack." I made a face and threw my bag over my shoulder. Seth stuck out his huge hand and I gingerly accepted it. His hand was hot, very hot. I made no attempt to pull away; instead, it only confirmed my suspicions even more. Twilight was becoming real -more or less- and I was smack dab in the middle of it or either, I was extraordinarily delusional and one step closer toward being admitted into the Physic Ward. Yup, the latter was looking more and more true.

"Thanks for the hand and the company." I blushed slightly; glad that for once, my skin was slightly tan, so it couldn't be seen easily.

"No problem. Remember you're coming over tomorrow." He waved and started to walk away.

Right, tomorrow I would observe the life of a could-be-werewolf without him expecting it, of course. When I got home, mom was gone, a note on the counter said she was up in Port Angeles and would be back later tonight. It would be exactly like before, she would be working constantly, and she would never be home. Some parental supervision she has. I grabbed some chicken from a bag in the fridge and poked it in the microwave. I danced to my room and dug through my boxes until I found my stereo and set it up on my dresser. Then I retrieved my dance mix and turned it all the way up. I was sure that if someone was passing by my house they would think I was having a party, and if someone was watching me from my window, like a certain werewolf, they would see my horrid dance moves. I wonder if saying 'there are no such things as werewolves' would kill them? Kind of like with the pixies in Peter Pan…

Sooner than I expected, all my thoughts of werewolves was out of my system and I was now dancing to rap music, or attempting that is. Occasionally, I'd reach out and grab a piece of chicken from my plate that was stashed away from Sassy, and then I would continue to unpack. A third of the way though unpacking, it had become unbearably hot and I launched for my window. I wasn't paying to much attention, until I saw something glimmer in the faint moonlight. A _huge _something. That something being a wolf-bear. The window was half-way up and I stood there gawking at it. It bound into the woods, only looking back once. I was sure, more than sure, that that had been Seth.

My muscles were frozen and I blocked all sounds as I scrambled around in my brain in an attempt to think of why he would be here. Oh shit. Twilight was real. It was freakin' real. By now, all the pack members knew I had seen him. Okay, I could deal with that. There was only one other thing that my brain came up with. A vampire was near and Seth was keeping an eye on me. I came to my senses and slammed the window shut and threw some extra blankets on the hooks above the window. If there was a vampire out there rambling in my yard, I didn't want to see it.

The rest of the night I spent curled up into a ball with Sassy by my side. I could have chatted with Leann about the werewolves and vampires, but it would be too much of scandal. I wasn't even supposed to know about any of this and yet I knew everything, if there was anything to actually know. Was the story even playing out anymore? In Eclipse, Jacob had run away and Bella was planning her wedding. Was Jacob included in the category of 'friends that are away on business'? I pondered for the longest time on just that. Jacob Black. Jake. He was here, maybe not at the moment, but he did live here. Tomorrow, I would have to figure out what was going on and if possibly Breaking Dawn was playing out right in front of me or maybe, the books were over and Jacob still hadn't came back. Yes, I was becoming utterly insane. It didn't even cross my mind that I might be taking things far to seriously.

I heard keys rattling and the front door being opened. My sensitive ears picked up faint grumbling coming from my mom. I wasn't alone anymore, I could finally sleep.


	3. Meet the Clearwater's

I awoke with a start; I had thrown my hand over toward my right side, trying to dislodge the horrible dream I just had, and hit something solid and cold. I shrieked and fell onto the floor. My breath came out rapidly and my eyes darted around the room and fell back to my bed. Standing shakily, I made my way back to the bed and stuck my hand to the wall. Sure enough, cold and hard. I hastily laughed at myself. What would a vampire have to do with me?

Faint light came through the blankets that covered the windows and I ripped them off. It was sunny. Yes! Sunny meant, one of the very few days I'd have to see the sun and it also meant that the vampires would have to hide. After doing a mini victory dance, I made my way to the kitchen. Mom had beaten me there. She stood, looking very cranky with a cup of black coffee in her manicured hands.

"I heard you scream, everything all right?" She asked lazily.

Great, she heard me scream, but didn't bother to check on me. What if a vampire had kidnapped me? _Nice_. "Yea, peachy."

She grunted and flitted back to her room.

Surely, I wasn't her daughter. I shook my head and began to fix myself Coco Puffs, while I brooded over last nights dream. It was so weird. One second I was at the beach and the next I was being whisked away by some really tall guy. But I remember him saying "It's not right for you to know this! You're just a girl! You just can't be it!", then proceeded to fling me over his shoulder and race away. I had tried to argue why I knew what I did, but my voice had conveniently failed me. I also remember a silver wolf that had brown patches, it was really small, smaller than a regular werewolf that is, but it wasn't part of the pack that was mentioned in Twilight…

Another puzzle. I was starting to hate puzzles with a burning passion- not that I didn't already hate them. Where was my simplicity? I could tell I wasn't going to get that way anytime soon. I just happened to glance up at the clock and it said it was a little after ten. I promised Seth I would be over there around eleven. Just great. I dumped the contents of my cereal bowl in the sink and ran towards the bathroom. My fingers quickly massaged the shampoo into my hair and then the conditioner. I sloppily soaped myself up and rinsed off, grabbed the nearest towel and dashed into my room. I was being a great multi-tasker this morning.

A pair of skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a flannel jacket over it made up my outfit. Very casual and predictable, but not overly eccentric. Just like me. The brush scrapped through my hair as I tried to apply mascara to my naked lashes.

"Going somewhere?" My mom voice filled my room and my mascara brush rammed into my eye.

"Ow! Ow!" I clutched my face and glared back at her with my good eye. "In fact, I am."

"Where to?" She was playing the concerned mom card. To bad, I knew she really didn't care that I was going anywhere.

"The Clearwater's." I stated matter-of-factly.

Recognition spread over her face. "Oh, you've met Sue and her family then?"

"Only Seth. He's the one who invited me over." I reached for my towel and began to scrub away the huge glob of brown mascara on my cheek.

"Ah." I knew this look. The one that's on her face right now. Either she was formulating a plan or planning to hit me with another riddle, I was almost sure of it. "So…do you like this…Seth?"

I snorted. That's an understatement. "As a friend, well yea. I don't really know him, so I can't say."

She seemed to accept this and walked right back out the way she had come. If I didn't know any better, I would think she was keeping a secret from me. Impossible. Geez, great timing, too bad that puzzle is going into the deep recesses of my mind. Sighing, I started back applying my mascara. Worrying wouldn't do me any good, it would just make me sick.

* * *

I made it to Seth's house in the knick of time. It was just past eleven, so I pulled my Jeep up next to a beaten up Toyota and hopped out. The sun was still shining, it looked odd and I missed the grey looming clouds, but they would be back before I knew it, probably by the time I left from Seth's house. His home was nice, white with pale pink shutters and a massive garden. I smiled; I had always imagined Sue would be kind of like Emily, they probably shared cooking tips and garden secrets.

I knocked on the door twice, before it flew open. Seth was smiling down at me and then he lightly tapped his watch with his right hand.

"You're late missy."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I promise that it will never happen again." I innocently poked out my bottom lip. He laughed.

"Sure it won't." He then pulled me inside. It was equally beautiful inside as it was out. Hardwood floors ran throughout the home, pale yellows, oranges, and blues made up the wall color and it was decorated to match.

"You're home is lovely." My voice was full of admiration. I'm sure mom, if she knew how wonderful this house was, would get some decorating tips from Sue.

His response was a grunt, typical. I then noticed no sounds in the house, where was everyone? His mom, Sue and…Harry. Right, he died of a heart attack. My head slightly dropped and I felt a sweep of sadness hit me. This sucked, if everything I knew was real, then I felt like a psychic.

"You okay?" He sounded concerned, but I shrugged.

"Yup, I'm just fine." I smiled. "Where's…you're, uh, family?"

"Out." He led me to a couch and switched on his gaming console. "You up for a round of Perfect Dark? Or do you not know how to play?" He said teasingly.

"You wouldn't take mercy on me?"

"Depends…" I punched him lightly on the arm. If I had hit him, I knew I would have ended up like Bella, in a cast. "Fine! Fine! I would take mercy."

I smirked. "Well…let's just see how far I can play without your help, okay?"

"If that's what you want. I don't want to take advantage of a poor little girl who doesn't know how to play." He tossed me a controller and we went into the combat simulator.

I went easy at first and I could tell he was holding back, but then I let him have it. He was shouting at the screen as I corned him every time and killed him.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to play this game!" He whimpered.

"You assumed." I pointed out and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay though, no one has been able to beat me since I got my hands on it. You put up a good fight."

"'You put a good fight.' Well, tell me, missy, what do you not know how to play?"

"I guess I'm pretty good at all games. Except sport games." I shuddered at the thought of playing Madden for the Sega Guinness.

A glint came into his eyes. "You don't like sport games, you say?" He then started to ramble through his massive game collection.

"I'm not playing it." He came back with some sports game and popped it into the console. "I said I'm not playing that Seth."

He glared at me. "Then I will." I heard his grumbling. "I can be a freakishly awesome game player too." He was whining like a little kid.

"Aw, Seth. You know it was all in good fun!" He was studiously ignoring me. "Seth, don't be like that." I pulled on his arms, but he wouldn't budge. Damn him and his super strength. "If you're going to ignore me, then I will head on home. It was nice of you to invite me over Seth, it was great." As I started to slip off the couch, he hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me back toward him.

"Come on, stay." I wiggled trying to free myself, but gave up with a defeated sigh.

"You owe me…" I looked at the clock, it was past three. Holy crow, we had been playing around for a long time. "You owe me a meal."

He smiled sheepishly. "Can't help you there."

I growled in frustration. "You can't cook." I scowled at him and took his arm in my both my hands and pulled him. "You," I stressed the word and even pointed at him, "are going to help me make some food."

His arm untangled with mine and he side stepped my attempt to grab him again. "I don't go in there unless it's to eat. You're on your own."

"Seth, I don't go through peoples kitchen's making lunch. You have to be in there with me." I pleaded with him. It was bad enough being in a mythical creature's house, but to make him a meal, in a kitchen that wasn't mine, was just wrong. I don't particularly like visiting people, nor going into their houses, but for Seth the could be werewolf, I would make a few exceptions.

He was about to say something when two arguing voices came through the front door.

"Leah! Stop being like this. You're as much a part of the pack as he is, so stop making it so difficult for them! If he wants someone to come over, that may or may not be his imprint that's fine with me." Immediately, I recognized the voice, it was Sue. I was stunned. They were talking about the pack and imprinting. Oh shit. They didn't even know I was here. I felt Seth leave my side as he practically ran to the door.

"It's not my fault! I didn't want this! As for her, Sam is going to…What do you want Seth?!" Leah screeched. Silence fell among them. I was tempted to peek around the corner, but I don't think that would be a good idea. All of a sudden, I was nervous. I wasn't supposed to be here, I had over heard them talking and now Leah was going to rip me to pieces. Wonderful. Hushed whispers were heard and Sue stepped around the corner, looking me over and then smiling brightly. Did I mention I was nervous? My legs felt as if they were going to collapse beneath me. I needed to become calm before I did collapse. And the wolves thought _they_ were the freaks…

Sue voice cut into my thoughts, it was bright and cheery, and I found myself smiling. "So, you're the girl I heard so much about last night."

My cheeks felt warm and I looked to the ground to avoid her knowing gaze.

"Mom…" Seth whined while making his way back to me with a very upset looking Leah on his heels.

"Oh, no. Seems I've messed up again. I can't say anything these days without getting banished into uncool mom land." She smiled at me and began again. "So, you're Evelyn?"

"Yes, ma'am, but I like to be called Evie." She nodded and set a bag onto a table.

"Well, dear, you can call me Sue. Has that boy fixed you anything to eat? He told me about what happened yesterday."

"Aw, mom you know I can't cook! The whole house would be on fire, you know this!" Seth grinned and slung himself over the couch earning him a whoop on the head by Leah. Leah, she was beautiful, I could see why she would be upset by Sam imprinting with Emily. I could also see she was having a hard time keeping her mouth shut; it was as if she wanted to maul me for being in their house. In truth, she was intimidating.

"Would you like some macaroni and cheese, Evie? I made it last night from my own super secret recipe." She winked and strutted into the kitchen.

I laughed a little and followed her. Right when I left, I could hear Leah and Seth arguing again. Already one wolf hated me. I was bringing in the family disputes now. They'll probably duke it out once I leave.

I gingerly set myself down in one of the chairs Sue had pulled out. I took it all in, the metal appliances that were aligned, the wooden cabinets that had ancient hinges and knobs on them, to the too big table I was now sitting beside, and a very busy Sue Clearwater. It was as if she had done this a thousand times. Maybe she had, but for me it was a whole new ball game. She popped the plate of macaroni and cheese into the microwave and pressed a few buttons and it came to life.

"So, how do you like La Push, Evie?" She seemed interested, not because she had to be, but because she genuinely was. It surprised me and for a few seconds, I was caught off guard.

"Um…" I managed to get out before smiling and coming out of my 'could be' embarrassing moment. "So far? Well, I really haven't seen La Push, besides, my home, First Beach, and your house, of course. Seth promised to show me around in the next few days. Overall though, I really love it here, especially the weather." It came out sounding really formal and rushed. So much for a 'could be' embarrassing moment, I just had one. Blood was rushing to my face and I quickly ducked my head.

Sue leaned over the counter, not even acknowledging my embarrassment, and called to Seth, probably to distract both of her teenagers from killing one another. "Why didn't you take Evie out today?" I found myself blushing again at her words. "It was perfect; we won't have another day like this for awhile." She scolded.

Seth stomped into the room looking a little irritated, but his words were able to remain light and cheerful. "Well, you know, I just wanted to drag her around in the rain tomorrow. It's so much more fun for me."

My eyes turned into slits as I glared at him. He only laughed and took a seat beside me.

"I'm not feeding you too, young man. Come and fix your own plate." He huffed and went to grab the rest of the macaroni from the dish in the fridge and set it in front of him. I grimaced. It was cold and he was eating it by the mouthful. "Manners?" Sue chirped. She then began again, "You know, you'll have to show her around in the car tomorrow and whatever you do," she stressed every word, as if it had an underlying meaning, "do not break the car. I can't afford another one."

That made Seth stop mid-mouthful and shake his head.

"Maybe we should take my car then?" I suggested, trying to break the tension.

"I think it would be for the best, if you don't mind. Seth is a horrible driver." Sue retrieved the plate within the microwave and set in front of me and handed me a fork.

"I don't mind." I smiled and stuck my fork into the plate and took my first bite. Sue was watching my reaction attentively as I chewed through my first bite. "This is delicious Sue!" I exclaimed. Seemingly pleased she put a coke in front of me and again went to watching me. It was unnerving just being watched, but I dutifully ignored her and tried to finish my macaroni while Seth desperately tried to help me eat it.

I popped his hand for the fifth time, "Seth, if you try to steal from my plate again, I'm gonna bite off your hand or at least attempt to." I growled while stabbing another noodle and stuffing it in my mouth.

A huge smile came upon his face and he stuck his hand out again, right in front of my face, trying to grab my fork, for Sue had took his away. I swallowed quickly and bit down on his arm, not hard, but just enough where I had to pull back and hold my mouth in pain. "You broke my mouth!"

He chuckled and he removed my hands from my face. His hot hands replaced mine and he gazed, longer than necessary, at my jaw and lips. "I think you'll make a full recovery." He whispered. A loud clearing of a throat made him pull his hands back and grin sheepishly.

Another embarrassing moment. I finished up the last of it and handed it to Sue, I offered to help with the dishes, but she told me and to sit back down. I wasn't one to disobey and quite frankly I hated doing dishes.

"Evie, you never told me where you were from." Her back was still turned toward me, which I was grateful for, but Seth was just as interested.

"Alabama. I lived in a town about as small as Forks, it's only like a mile bigger, but it's definitely no Forks." I was surprised that my voice wasn't sad, instead it was steady and strong, it was about time I realized I had no way to escape back down there.

"Oh?" She turned toward me, trying to decipher something and turned back. "Did you move around a lot?"

"Ah, yeah, I did when I was younger. I've pretty much lived everywhere in Alabama."

"Then why move here?" I was taken back, but her tone held no malice, so I answered.

"Divorce happened." I sighed but kept going, I knew I should stop, but I wanted to talk about it. "My mom sent dad the papers while she was on a business trip, she also filed for custody, and well she got what she wanted. She thinks of herself as a responsible parent, but truly, she always working and never home, I've seen her more in the last month than I have in the past seventeen years. At least dad knew how to be home at six and eat dinner." My jaw snapped down and I looked away. Great, now they knew why I was here and they were going to pity me.

Instead of pity, I got a warm smile from Sue that I returned. "You're welcome here anytime, sweetie. I would hate for you to be in that house by yourself." She accepted me so warmly that it made my heart ache. What I would give to receive warmth like this everyday.

"I would like that very much." My voice was thick with emotion and she quickly changed the subject.

"Well, what are your favorite foods? I have to know this stuff." She said while laughing and taking a seat in front of me.

For about two hours, we talked all about my life in Alabama and I in turn asked them questions about La Push. I never got specifics when I asked about Seth's job and things like that, that was fine, I already knew he was a wolf and ran around protecting people, I was almost sure of it.

We were just getting into Sue's history, amazingly her and my mom were friends before she moved, when my phone went off. I frantically grabbed it from my back pocket and looked at the caller id. My mom I mouthed to them both.

"Hey mom." I said cheerfully.

"You do know that I want to have dinner with my only daughter, do you not?" I racked my brain for a conversation about our having dinner together, none came up, but I had best not argue.

"Sure, I know." I muttered.

"Good, good. I'll see you in a few minutes then, it's almost done." I glanced at the clock and it was just after four thirty.

"Okay, on my way."

"Bye honey." She didn't wait for my reply, she just hung up. I shut my phone and shyly looked up.

"Mom wants to eat dinner with me, so I have to get going." Even I sounded sad, which caused Seth to laugh and pull me to my feet as he got up too.

"Are you coming back tomorrow, Evie?" Sue asked, expecting a yes, probably. Did Seth want me to come back? I looked at him, as to get some incite. He was nodding his head back and forth faster than I would have thought possible, just seeing him nodding his head was making me a little queasy.

"Sure, I'll be back at the same time?"

"Yup, and you better be on time!" Seth was smiling, of course, I just rolled my eyes and trotted to the door, both Sue and Seth were right behind me, Leah was nowhere to be seen.

"I had a great time, thanks for the meal, Sue. We should exchange cooking recipes." I grinned and she smiled in return.

She waved as Seth walked me to my Jeep. I hopped in and rolled my window down, so I could talk to Seth for a few more minutes. He leaned on the now open space and still had his smile in place.

"You're after my moms' super secret recipe aren't you?" His eyebrow raised and he poked my shoulder.

"Obviously, I mean, I have to cook for myself most of the time anyway, might as well cook something delicious." I stated and flicked his finger away.

His grin turned mischievous and just as he was about to come after me with his retort he shot straight up. His posture almost looked defensive and his teeth were slightly bared. I knew what he was doing, the look in his eyes as he gazed far away at something my weak eyes could never see, his frame quivering in the slightest. My heart spurted erratically and was frozen the same way Seth was, unmoving, only the breeze moving our hair, we were statues for what seemed forever.

Only his face turned toward me, his eyes were wide, full of fear and excitement. I had been staring at him the whole time and when he spoke, it made me jump. "Go home, Evie. I'll see you tomorrow." His voice was calm and that's what scared me even more. I couldn't trust my voice so I just nodded and pulled out of his drive, while he ran toward the woods, flinging off his shirt and disappearing.

I drove as fast as I could go, occasionally glancing out the windows, to look at some unseen vampire that was here, or maybe it was the pack, maybe they had returned. Yeah right, you wouldn't be going back to Seth's if they were. When I finally pulled up into my drove, I slung myself out of the car, nearly tripping on my own feet, and ran up the steps to my house. I was shaking violently as I entered and slammed the door shut, locking every lock that was on it. Not that it would do any good in this situation, but anything to help.

Mom, hearing the noise came from the kitchen staring me down until she saw I was shaking myself to pieces.

"Evie? Honey? Are you okay?" She made no attempt to come toward me, instead she backed up slightly. This puzzled me exceedingly. Why wasn't she comforting me?

"I'm…" I struggled with my breath and when I found my grip on it I continued, "I thought I saw a bear or something in the woods, it scared me half to death." I lied through my teeth and she cautiously stepped forward and pulled me into a hesitant hug, then when satisfied, pulled me closer.

"That had to be scary." I nodded into her shoulder. "Here, let's go eat, I made you one of your favorites."

I calmed down considerably throughout dinner, enjoying chicken stripes, homemade fries, and black eyed peas. I told her all about what happened today, but not what happened just before I left. She then told me about her and Sue, how even though Sue was older, they used to be best friends. She explained that for what seemed forever, until I excused myself and headed toward my room, Sassy bouncing happily beside me.

Just as I had last night, I threw blankets over my windows. I didn't permit myself a peek out the windows, I was afraid of what I might or might not find there. I settled into my bed, pulling myself into a ball, which was entirely uncomfortable, but it did the job. The clock beside my bed flashed on every new hour and after three new flashes, I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping any time soon.

My right hand reached out in the drawer beside my bed and pulled out a notebook and a pen. I flipped to a random page. I'm one of those people who doesn't use the first page, instead I flip thirty pages in and doodle then flip forward to write and so on. I wrote all about my day, in extreme detail. When I got to the part of Seth becoming stiff and telling me to go home, I remembered something. Just after I got home, my mom had looked scared, not for me, but for _herself_. I clicked my tongue as I finished my day and went back to the way my mom had acted. She had been afraid, afraid because what? What could I do? Nothing was wrong with me, I wasn't a manic and I wasn't insane, did she think I was angry? Speaking of angry, she hasn't fought with me, not even once since we moved. Maybe she was trying, actually trying to be a mom and not make things harder than what it was for me. Yeah, that's probably it…


	4. Distraction

The next morning I noticed a black substance all over my arms. When I looked down my sheets were soaked with ink, I had fallen asleep with my pen and notebook, which was blacked by the ink as well. I grumbled as I started to stretch and made my way to the bathroom. When I was halfway there the doorbell rang repeatedly, it was like the person was rushing or something. Pesky early birds.

As I furiously stomped to the door I didn't bother seeing who it was and was about to curse the living daylights out of them, when I was swept into a gigantic half-hug. Seth. I didn't attempt to move, why was he here when I told him I was coming over at eleven?

"Can't…breathe, Seth." I said choking on my words.

"Sorry." He mumbled and set me down on my feet, only to glare at me. I noticed he looked tired, large purple bags lined the rims of his eyes, he was more than tired, he was worn out and it looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion.

"What are you doing here?" I was becoming a little perturbed, seeing as how it's early and I just got up, plus, I really had to pee.

"Well, you're late." He tapped his watch and I leaned around looking for the clock on the stove. Twelve.

"Oh."

He then seemed to think of something, something that just happened to occur to him, "Did you just get up?"

"Yeah, right before you destroyed my door bell." I replied teasingly.

As I started to invite him in, he just stopped and looked at me. I gave him a puzzled look and he burst in a fit of laughter, "What is on your forehead?" He said through bits of laughter.

I took my hand and ran it over my head. Sure enough, ink. "It's ink." I grumbled and turned to walk into the house.

"Do you sleep with a pen?" Seth was still laughing and I was getting irritated, I'm not a morning person, even if technically it wasn't morning.

"No, it just so happened that I couldn't sleep, so I decided to write and then…well, I fell asleep." Another round of laughter hit the air. "Look, I'm gonna go have a shower. So, make yourself at comfortable, watch TV, help yourself to the fridge or something. I'll be right back."

I didn't wait for a reply as I skipped into my room and dug through my closet. I had to have something to wear. After settling on a pink tank and a pair of capris, which was by no means suitable for La Push, I laid them on my bed and went to shower. One look in the mirror caused me to throw a fit. The ink was not only on my forehead, but on the left side of my face, all down my left arm and my right forearm was covered as well. I'm never ever chewing on my pens again. Not if this is what happens.

I turned the shower knob until it was hot and grabbed the baby oil from under the counter and began to scrub my skin. Black streaks ran down my legs as I scrubbed and what seemed like hours later, it was removed from my skin. I gave myself an invisible high five and went back to washing my skin and quickly shaving. As I started to turn off the water, I slapped my head. I forgot to shampoo and condition my hair. My favorite shampoo was a kids brand, which smelled like raspberries and was tearless. No matter how many times I got that stuff in my eyes in never burned, which I was immensely happy for.

I wrapped myself in a towel as I stepped out and went to combing the rats-nest which had built up in my hair. I turned to the side to see the full length of my hair and all of a sudden, I itched for the scissors- a silly impulse. A few years back, I had cut my own hair and it had looked really cute, but the only problem with it was that it had been right above my shoulders. Not that I minded back then, but now, I was attached and I didn't know if I'd be able to let go.

I started to laugh at how ridiculous I was being over my hair and skipped out of the bathroom. The faint sound of the TV could be heard along with obnoxious snoring. I tiptoed out of my room and into the hall, and sure enough, Seth was sprawled out on the sofa asleep.

I silently went back and closed my door and changed into my clothing. It wasn't that cold, well, at least I hadn't been getting as cold as I normally would. I threw on some mascara and silently went to sit in front of Seth on the floor. He had a child like quality to him and when she slept it was as plain as day on his face. I smiled and shook my head; all these Quileute boys were trying to be older than what they really are. I guess though, when your forced into the situation they were you have to play the grown up or someone could get hurt, even worse, killed.

It still amazed me that mythical creatures-no, Twilight, was real. All the characters, the wolves, vampires, everything was real. I may have not seen either yet, but I knew it to be true. Even better, I had made friends with one of the werewolves. Seth really was great, I can only hope that once the pack comes back he won't go and ignore me. I don't think I could take him ignoring me, no, he was too good of friend for me to completely cut off and forget. In such a short amount of time, I now considered him on the scales with Leann, just in a slightly different way. I mean, I did think of him as a friend, but I liked him too. Ever since he fought with Edward and helped him defeat Riley and Victoria, I had held a soft spot for him. That spot was becoming a little mushier everyday…

When I refocused my eyes, I realized Seth was staring back at me. I smiled sheepishly and looked away.

"Well, that was interesting, as much as I love you staring at me, you get into your own world and nothing can bring you back."

"Huh?"

"I've been calling your name for the past five minutes. You were off in la-la-land or something." He then smiled devilishly. "So, tell me, what were you thinking about?"

My face was on fire, but I refused to answer him.

"Or was it a who?" I froze and took a deep breath and held it. "It was a who!" He exclaimed jumping up into sitting position and pulling me up from the floor and set me beside him. That super strength of his was aggravating. I grumbled something about being a super strong freak, which caused him to break out into a full blown grin. I started to stare again, wondering if his cheeks hurt and if he would have laugh lines that stretched from the corners of his mouth all the way to his ears. It was probable, but he wasn't aging any time soon. He also hadn't said anything about yesterday, I wonder if he thought I was that dense? I guess if things keep happening, I can fake being curious…

"You're doing it again." He accused.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"You gonna tell me what you're thinking about? Your brain might explode from all that thinking if you don't share the knowledge. "

"Kind of like a save the world thing?"

"Exactly- Wait your changing the subject."

"So, what would happen if my brain did explode? I doom the whole world, or just everyone within a two-hundred mile radius?" I wasn't about to give up on my distraction all I needed was for Seth to take the bait.

"No, you'll probably leak some kind of deadly strain of diseases into the world, slowly killing everyone. Though, come on, you know I would be immune." Bait has been taken. Score! "You're not gonna tell me are you?" Thought to soon…

"Immune? Psh, you'd be the first to die." I wasn't about to give in that easily. "And if the world was to succumb to my disease, the only thing I expect to live is my cat."

"Cat?" His thunderous laughter shook the couch and I smiled secretly to myself. "What cat?"

The bait has been taken again! I'm on a roll! "My cat…that's somewhere around here…" I forehead crumpled as I strained to look around him.

Finally, I just got up and went to my room; Seth was beside me, still smiling. Sassy was nowhere to be found. She wasn't curled up in my bed, she wasn't in my moms room, the bathrooms or the closets. By the time we searched the whole house I was hyperventilating. Sassy was my best friend, she had been there since I was ten, we've been inseparable. I know she's old, but she's always had a bounce in her step and a kitten flair about her. That's what made her so special.

I sat down at the table and buried my face within my hands. Two possibilities came into my head, one was that a vampire had gotten her for some unknown reason, two, which was more than likely, she went off to her death bed. I knew animals did that when they were about to die, I'd seen it happen, but maybe just by some miraculous miracle she was alive somewhere or maybe she escaped and went outside. Maybe my mom had something to do with this?

Seth, had his arm around me was whispering words of comfort, but when I suddenly stood, he about flipped out of his chair. I ran madly to the phone and dialed my mom's cell.

She answered on the fourth ring; I had become so impatient I about screamed into the phone.

"Mom, have you seen Sassy? I can't find her anywhere." I started to blabber. "What if something happened to her? Mom? What would I tell dad? He loves Sassy just as much as I do. He would be heartbroken. Did you see her this morning? I woke up late and I didn't think about her till about thirty minutes ago."

"Calm down." My said authoritatively. When she wanted, she could be intimidating and actually could become a mom. "Listen to me now. Are you listening?" I mumbled a quiet yes. "Okay, this morning Sassy was a bit under the weather, so I took her to the vet, she's still there. They're keeping her overnight. Evie? Evie can you hear me?"

"Yea, I hear you." I suddenly felt stupid, but then overwhelmed by an anger and a hot taste came into my mouth. "Why didn't you wake me?!"

"Baby, I left a note by your bedside. You looked so tired that I didn't want to disturb you." I crumpled my head in concentration and took off back towards my room. Sure enough on my side table was a note, wrote in bold ink and on blindly bright sheet of paper.

"Oh, I didn't see it." I sighed. "Sorry for yelling, it's just, I would like to know these things even if I'm dead tired."

"Okay, Evelyn. Honey, I need to go, you know I have a job to do. I'll pick Sassy up tomorrow on my way home from work."

"Love you mom."

"Love you too, baby."

_Click_.

I slowly turned and Seth was looking at me as if I was about to start my fit all over again and there was something else, as if he was hearing something that only his sensitive ears could pick up.

"I'm fine. She's at the vet." I made no attempt to move as I questionably raised my eyebrow. "Seth?"

"Come on, let's go, and show you around town." He reached over and grabbed my arm and started to pull me toward the door.

"Wait, I have to get my bag." I ran back to my room and pushed my laptop into my messenger bag and went back to meet Seth who still had something weird going on with him. It didn't scare me like yesterday, this was like something was happening that he was little afraid of what someone might think. That led to one thing. They were back.


	5. Forceful renegotiations

We both jumped into my Jeep and Seth stretched his seat all the way to the back to make room for his long legs to fit. It was a little awkward, Seth didn't say anything, besides pointing out various directions and shops of interest. It was obvious he wasn't here in mind, I almost asked if he just wanted to go home, but I kept my mouth shut. Occasionally, he would perk up and stare intently out the window.

All in all, I didn't really learn anything new about the town and I was still a little confused on how to get to some places, but I pushed that aside. After driving in complete silence for thirty minutes, I turned on the radio, until it was barely audible, just a hum in the background. I then started to head toward Seth's house. He didn't even look at me until we had stopped and when he did he looked utterly confused.

"I thought I'd go ahead and drop you off. I'm still a little tired." Oh, joy, another lie, if anything I was bored out of my mind.

"Oh, okay." His eyes flickered between the house, the woods, and me for the longest time until he finally opened the door and stepped out.

"I'll see ya around, Seth." I waved a bit and waited for him to shut the door.

"Um…" He started to rub the back of his neck and then he glanced around again, "Instead of you coming here, can I come over tomorrow?"

"As long as you don't fall asleep again."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, maybe if someone wouldn't take so long showering…"

"Whatever. Bye Seth."

He shut the door and started to jog up to the house before giving me a quick wave then entering.

As I drove back, rain started to pound violently on my car and I welcomed it. My radio was turned up as loud as it would go and the bass was thumping violently. Was there a noise ordinance for La Push? If there was, who would enforce it? Sam and his pack? I snorted and swerved slightly. I think anyone would turn down their music if they saw a six foot wolf walk toward them, maybe they'd even try to run them over. Yes, now there's a way to provoke a werewolf.

My mom still wasn't home when I pulled into our small drive. The thought of being along in my own house wasn't to appealing, but certainly there had to be something to keep me busy for the next several hours. Just as I had yesterday, I locked all of the locks on the door and threw my keys onto the counter. My shoes and clothes were wet so I stripped down to my undergarments as I walked to the too small laundry room and threw them on the floor. A massive pile had built up; most were my mom's clothes, who found the need to change several times a day.

Doing the laundry didn't seem like a bad idea so started a load and the machine came alive with a groaning noise. It was freaky at first, it rather reminded me of those Silent Hill games Leann had forced me into playing one night. The hauntingly terrifying music, the radio that was staticy every time monsters came near, and the outright wrong sounds that was heard throughout the game.

I shivered involuntarily. I thought I was trying to get comfortable, not scare myself half to death.

I left the machine running and went to look for food; unfortunately, my mom does not know how to stock the fridge with food. The only eatable thing in there was bread and jelly. A bread and jelly sandwich it is then! I hummed tunelessly as I fixed my less than appetizing meal. In the next day or two, I needed to do some grocery shopping. I wasn't looking forward to the prices that food would cost at the little stores around here.

Maybe I could go to Seattle. That doesn't seem to bad, except that it was once a place for newborn vampires who were bent on the destruction of Bella and the Cullen's. They were gone now, all of them wiped out. The wolves and Cullen's had taken care of that, there was no Victoria and there was no Riley. Nope, not Seattle, at least not while I'm going to be by myself. Maybe Port Angeles, I needed new clothes, so why not? I put up the bread and jelly and headed back to my room, sandwich in hand.

All of my clothes were summer clothes, tank tops, shorts, capris, flip flops, t-shirts, and the occasional pair of jeans. I desperately needed new clothes, and the rain outside had proven to be colder than I expected. I started to sort through them with my free hand, hoping to find at least a long sleeve shirt or a coat. I found neither.

Growling in frustration I went to get my laptop and Googled Washington and brought up the Wal-Mart's within the area. The closest one was in Port Angeles and it was a simple route to follow, as long as I didn't go to far on the 101, I'd be fine. I shut the laptop, happy with my findings and debated on telling Seth not to bother coming over tomorrow, that I had work to due. Then I realized I had the directions to his house, not his phone number. I could run over there and barge in on the wolf meeting that was sure to be taking place. I bet they wouldn't like that at all.

I kicked my dresser and looked over at my bed. The ink covered sheets were still in place. I quickly ripped them off and stomped my way to the laundry room and threw them into the floor.

There was absolutely nothing else to do within this house. Nothing at all. I started to jump up and down in a fit, it was better than doing nothing, plus it got all of the frustration out. I was on my twelfth jump when the doorbell started to ring. As I started to unlock it and open the door I tried to slam it shut -I completely forgot I was in my underwear and nothing else- a copper hand caught it.

"Evie, what's the deal, don't slam the door-" Seth stuck his head halfway through the door that I was desperately trying to shut. "Oh…" He blushed, but didn't look away. Instead, he focused on my face. "Eh…em…I'll just wait out here for you." Within the next second, his head was gone and I was left feeling completely mortified.

It took a moment, but I came out of my stiff posture and ran back to my room and threw on a pair of jeans and a tank. With a deep breath I opened up my front door and stepped out. It was just getting dark, but my surrounding were easy to make out. Seth stood on the far left, looking out amongst the trees or something. I set down on the steps and waited for him to talk. I stared aimlessly out into the rain, letting a few drops hit my fingers.

He soundlessly came to sit by me and looked over at my bare shoulders. "You don't own a coat?"

I rolled my eyes. "Naw, I have to go and buy one."

"Weirdo." I gently shoved him and a serious look came on his face. "Tomorrow, do you think I could skip coming over?"

No big shocker there. I kept my face carefully composed; this is what I had wanted anyway, for him not to come over. "Sure, fine by me. I have things I need to take of."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

"Yea, like groceries and proper clothing."

"You're not going to be on the reservation tomorrow?" He made it sound like a criminal offense. I just laughed.

"No, it's not like I could buy what I needed here."

He studied my face and looked down, a mask of deep concentration appeared. Uh-oh. He was forming a plan. He's got to be kidding if he expects me to put off my plans just because they can't patrol where I'll be going.

"Where are you going exactly?" Seth was so calm and he never broke his mask of concentration. I thought werewolves were supposed to be angry all the time and throw tantrums at the smallest thing, I mean, that's how I imagined werewolves to be, well at least one particular werewolf, by the name of Paul.

I decided I would play along, as long as it didn't get me tied to his hip at every given second he wasn't running around being super wolf. "Well, I was going to go to Seattle…" I sighed dramatically and I saw his stagger a bit in my peripheral view, "but I decided that Port Angeles would do nicely, since it closer and has a Wal-Mart." I could only imagine what he thought of me going to Seattle, not that he should care, but Seth was different, we were friends and I could tell, just by what he was doing now that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to me.

"Is your mom going?"

"Nope, she's working." I backtracked my thoughts when he looked like he was about to protest. "But she does work near there." I think. I didn't know a lot about my mom's job, it's not like I needed to know or anything.

"How about we together Wednesday?"

I pursed my lips; it was Monday the twenty-sixth, I couldn't survive another day without food. "No deal."

"What? Why?"

"Well, first off, I don't want you to feel the need to come with me just because you think I can't protect myself. Secondly, I want to go shopping and I can't deal with a whiny teenage boy telling me to hurry up. And lastly, just no."

His hand went to pinch the bridge of his nose and I almost laughed. This is what Edward had to do when he was overly frustrated with Bella. "I won't get in your way; I need to get some clothes too."

I groaned. He did not just play the _I'm a werewolf and I rip my clothes up all the time, so I need to buy some new ones _card. "Seth." I whined. "You're not going." I argued.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you are NOT."

"Am too."

"Are not!" I stood up challengingly.

"Am too." He boomed and stood up as well, towering over me.

I narrowed my eyes and stepped on the top step, where I my head could graze right past his shoulder. "Seth." I tried to make my voice as soothingly as possible. "You are not coming with me. I need to go tomorrow, without you. I need food and clothes before I starve."

"You can eat at my house." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But…" He grinned triumphantly. "No." There was nothing keeping me from going tomorrow. It's not he would be the one driving and he was going to be busy, he had already said he wasn't coming.

"You won't be going anywhere tomorrow." My mouth closed with an audible snap as he ended the conversation. What made him so confident that I wouldn't go?

"We'll see…" I grumbled.

"Wednesday it is then. I'll come by here at around nine. You better be awake." He started to walk away, when suddenly he turned around. "I'll have my mom call you tomorrow. You know, so you can stay the day and eat. My mom really likes you."

I was pleased, it was good to know that she did. It made it a little more bearable to be there with the presence of Leah, not that I was planning on going. "How does Sue have my number?"

"I dunno, I guess she talked to your mom. I heard them talking on the phone yesterday.".

My mom was talking to Sue? What's this about? "Ah, do you know what about?"

"Nope, just catching up, I guess." I slowly nodded my head as I let that sink in. "See ya later, Evie!" Seth started to run as he called over his shoulder. I just looked at the spot he had been at, he knew more than he was letting in on. I could almost bet on it.


	6. Dinner and a show

No unusual dreams plagued my sleep, unlike the night before last, which I was grateful for. The alarm clock to my side was ringing like crazy. It was six in the morning and I planned to make a run out of La Push. Unlike the werewolves, I'm not bound by treaties or injunctions and I was going to make full use of my freedom.

I jumped up and stretched. Maybe it was just me, but it's like I'm a little taller or it might just be my wishful thinking. The jeans I had worn yesterday were in the floor so I slid them on and glanced at my feet. Sure, enough, they were shorter, not by much, but it was noticeable. I threw on a tank and flip flops and ran to the kitchen to write a note for mom.

I stopped midline in my explanation and listened carefully. There were no sounds. No snoring. No squeaking of the bed springs. Nothing. I peeked in mom's room, she wasn't in there. She must be at work, or she never came home. I sighed and started back writing the little note just in case she came back.

The keys were still where I had left them, on the counter. That was a good sign. I grabbed them and my bag and made my way outside, locking the door behind me. My Jeep was still in place, nothing seemed wrong with it. Another good sign. Did Seth really think I wouldn't go without him, just because he deems it unsafe in his silly little head?

I clicked the automatic door unlock and climbed in. Yup, everything was just fine. I threw my bag into the passenger seat and poked my key into the ignition turning it to the right.

Nothing happened.

I tried again. Same thing. I slammed my hands down on the steering wheel and popped the hood.

"Damn Jeep." I muttered, I might not know a lot about cars, but I knew that when it didn't crank up, something was wrong with it.

I lifted the latch on the hood and used the rod inside to keep it from falling on me. Everything was in it's rightful place, until I noticed there was no battery. Battery - anger boiled in my veins and I shut the hood.

I turned my body towards the woods and screamed with all my might, probably waking up the neighbors in the process.

"Do you think this can keep me from going Seth?!" I screamed in frustration. "I'm not stupid, I know how to fix my Jeep, I know other ways to get out of here!"

How dare he steal my battery just to keep me from going to Port Angeles. Who did he think he was? I slung my bag over my arm and marched back inside and rummaged around for a phone book. There had to be taxi service in Port Angeles and I would gladly pay whatever fee that was necessary.

The shrilling of the house phone cut into my thoughts.

"Hello?" I hissed into the receiver.

"Oh, good, you're awake, Evie."

"Sue?" I instantly felt horrible.

"Yes, dear. Seth said you wouldn't mind spending the day with me." She sounded so happy on the other end of the phone. I couldn't disappoint her.

"No, I wouldn't mind, not at all." I sighed inwardly as Sue continued on, my anger slowly storing itself away.

"Good, good. You'll get to meet Emily! I'm absolutely sure you'll love her. There's Kim too. It's just us girls today." Emily _and_ Kim will be there? Vampires must be on the prowl. I shivered at the thought.

"What time should I come over?" I had a feeling my battery would magically reappear. Sneaky werewolf.

"Now is fine with me. Be careful on your way over, the roads are slick."

I laughed humorlessly, the roads around here are always slick, so I stole Jacobs line. "Sure, sure."

"See you in a bit, Evie." She didn't wait for my reply she just hung up.

I rewrote the note for my mom saying I was over at Sues and walked back to my Jeep and popped the hood. The battery was back. I scoffed then sent death glares all over the woods.

"There will be no next time! If you even so much as touch my car the alarm will go off from now on!" I yelled.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard a deep laugh from within the woods. I was tempted to check it out, but decided against it. Nothing good could come of me hunting down a werewolf I wasn't supposed to know about.

I had been set up. Sue was in on it. I could make a mad run for the border, but I had practically promised Sue that I was coming over. This was what Seth had wanted and he had with such ease, gotten it. I cursed under my breath and started the Jeep. It cranked up as it normally would and I raced my way toward the Clearwater house.

A red compact car was sitting in the driveway. I hadn't seen that one before.

It felt eerie being here under these conditions. I didn't feel welcomed, in fact, I could just about guess the only reason I was here was because of Seth. I idly wondered who was against us being friends within the pack as I walked to the door, bag on my shoulder. I didn't even have to knock, the door opened on it's own accord.

The woman who appeared behind it was stunning beautiful. Claw marks marred half of her face, but she was still extremely beautiful. I smiled and stuck out my hand.

"I'm-"

"You're Evie." She radiated happiness. I nodded. "I'm Emily. It's good to finally meet you!" She exclaimed and pulled me into a hug. She pulled back some to look me over, her smile never faltered. "Well, come on in."

She let me step around her and go first and I slightly turned back around. Emily craned her head looking for something and her head slightly bobbed. I frowned at this. I had been followed the whole time. If they only knew how much I knew…

The house smelt like chocolate chip cookies. My mouth was watering, and I let my nose lead me to the kitchen. Sue and who I assumed was Kim were staring intently at a bowl with determination. They both had rosy pink aprons on and when I entered they both turned, and greeted me with smiles.

"Evie! Grab an apron and help us." Sue laughed and turned back to the bowl.

Kim grinned sheepishly and said "Hey, I'm Kim." She waved her hand and returned to her work.

I was practically about to burst from my Twilight overload. A big goofy grin was spread on my face. I had always wanted to meet Emily, the woman who put up with Sam, his keeper and the rest of the Twilight characters. I was in the presence of not only Emily, but Sue and Kim as well.

A hand went in front of my face, obscuring my view; in it was a pink apron. I looked up and saw Emily who was also tying her apron back on. I thanked her and put it on. It went just below my thighs and I knew I had to look ridiculous.

Ingredients were strewn amongst the table, cooking oil, butter, salt, flour, all sorts of sweeteners and extracts were in a row and so much more stuff was there that I couldn't possibly name it all. I gawked for a moment just taking it all in and then refocused my attention on the others. They were fussing on what kind of cookies to make next I assumed. I felt like the odd girl out. I didn't belong, I was here by chance, not luck.

I didn't realize it had gone quiet until I looked up again and they were staring at me. I smiled slightly which felt more like a grimace. Emily saw right threw me, her knowledge knows no bounds.

"Evie?" She asked. I perked. "Do you know how to cook?"

I grinned a little, "I do. My grandmother taught me."

"Good, then you can you make three casserole dishes of macaroni?"

"No problem."

For the next hour, I ran back and forth gathering the necessary ingredients, mixing them together, and trying my best not to knock anything off in the limited counter space.

Just as I had finished the second casserole dish, I realized there were no more shells. "Uh-oh."

Emily turned to me in horror. "Oh, no were out of macaroni shells." Her face fell slightly. "We really needed a third one too."

"Do you have any white rice?" I asked.

"Rice?" Emily questioned as if I was mad or something.

"Yes, I have some rice in the bottom of the fridge..." Sue said hesitantly.

"Well, I don't think the ingredients I've already mixed should go to waste, so I thought I could make cheesy rice." My shoulders shrugged and Emily's face lite up. "Do you have any cream of celery?"

Sue pointed me in the direction where it was and soon I had the last dish filled with cheesy rice, waiting to be put in the oven.

Emily kept looking at me with such pride, as if in any given moment she was going to whisk me away and demand that I help her make meals everyday for the werewolves for the rest of my life. That would be extremely tempting and knew that I would say yes in a heartbeat.

We sampled everything. Nothing was untouched by our fingers. It was fine now, we were getting along, and Kim was warming up to me. All three had complimented me on my cheesy rice, they even wanted the recipe. For hours, they picked my brain for other little recipes I might have known. But I was more than happy to satisfy the girls with recipes on what to feed their werewolves.

It was nearing the end of the day, everything was cooked and waiting on the returning werewolves. Kim and I were sitting in the living room, talking about how she met Jared and her plans on one day marrying him. She described in great detail what her dress would be like and where it would take place. It surprised me that she had all this planned out, but I was pretty sure that Jared felt the same way. She had asked me about boys, but I had nothing to say to it. I didn't have boy experience, and I told her so, that and no one had caught my eye, I was waiting for that magical moment when everything would align itself in front of me. Kim had looked at me as if I was kidding, but she didn't press the subject. Everything in Kim's world was full of magic, things that were meant to happen happened, they aligned and she was now on a path of happiness.

We were playing our second game of goldfish when the front door banged open and in came a butt-load of hungry looking werewolves. I couldn't tell any of them apart, but I knew it was nowhere near all of them. I was shielded slightly behind Kim who was looking worriedly at them. One of them came over a swept her up into his arms and kissed her lovingly. Jared and Kim were really perfect for each other. Their eyes said it all. It was weird to witness such an act of passion. I stood off in the corner staring absently at nothing particular when I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

Seth was looking at me as if weighing his options. I waited and he finally settled on a 'Did you have fun?'

I glowered at him. "I did." I sniffed.

Emily came through right then with two plates of food. "You better go and get some food Seth. They've beat you to it."

Seth groaned and charged his way into the kitchen. A few 'heys' and 'watch its' were heard. I stifled a laugh.

Emily held out the other plate in her right hand. "I brought you a plate; there wouldn't be anything left if you went last."

"Thank you, Emily." I sat down in the floor and she looked down at me strangely. "Aren't you going to eat in the kitchen?"

"Naw, I'm fine."

Her lips pressed into a line. "All right." She mumbled and made her way back to the kitchen. I could tell she wasn't thrilled that I choose to stay in here, but it was the better choice. Being around hungry wolves, who most likely didn't like me, was not a good idea.

I picked at my food, it was good, the chicken Emily had cooked was delicious, and the cheesy rice I had made was just right. I sat there for maybe five minutes until Seth came back. He looked me over then sighed and came to sit beside me in the floor.

"There's room in there, you know."

"Then why aren't you in there?" I snapped. I was still upset from this morning. Stealing my battery was not cool.

"I couldn't leave you in here by yourself, could I?" He elbowed my arm causing me to drop the contents of my fork back onto my plate. "Oops."

Agitation was eating me away, but I ignored him and stuffed my fork back into the food.

"Come on, Evie, be nice. We haven't talked since yesterday!"

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and continued to pick at my food.

He growled in frustration and jabbed his fork into his plate causing a loud cracking noise.

The fork that was half to my mouth stopped and I looked over at Seth who was trying not to bring attention to the fact that he just destroyed his plate.

I burst into a fit of laughter, causing the front room to go deathly quite.

"Shh, Evie. Be quite." His large hand fitted itself across my mouth as I continued to laugh. It did no good against my big mouth, my fit was coming on it full force, and I had tears rolling down my face.

A head stuck itself around the corner. I knew it to be Jared. He gave us a skeptical look and cautiously walked toward us. "Seth? What did you do?"

"What? I didn't do anything!" This caused a whole new round of laughter from me and I pointed to his plate. It was split in half, the fork sticking into the hardwood floor beneath us. Seth grabbed my hand and held it in his lap.

Jared snickered and went back the way he came. He was obviously going to tell the others about Seth's little 'accident'.

Sue entered a few seconds later to see what the racket was about. When she saw the plate and then the fork, it looked like she about ready to ring someone's neck. She was just about to let Seth have it when she noticed our hands. Our fingers were entwined and I stopped laughing and blushed. She had it completely wrong. She bit her lip and looked back and forth between us.

"Seth, we'll talk about this later." She gracefully left the room and returned to the quite kitchen.

I wiggled out of his grasp, but his hand held mine. "Seth…"

"Yeah?"

I look pointedly at our hands but he ignored my look. I gave up after a few minutes of tugging, he wouldn't budge even a bit.

"Hey Seth?" I said after a few minutes of silence.

"Talking to me again, are we?"

"Keep it up and I won't."

He grumbled something that didn't sound every nice.

"Do I see light coming from your ears?" I said as sarcastically as I could.

"Oh, you think you're funny." That same glint from the other day came into his eyes. He was going to do something I wasn't going to like very much.

He was ready to make his move when I made a quick decision. "Can we cancel our plans for tomorrow?"

His brows furrowed. "Is this a joke?"

"No, why would I joke? Anyway, we'll reschedule for another day."

"Is there any reason for this?"

"Naw, not really."

"I thought you would starve to death if you didn't buy some food?"

"I'll have mom pick me up some food tonight." I changed the subject. "So, you ever gonna tell me who your friends are?" I titled my head toward the other room.

"Oh, there's, Quil, Jared, Embry, and Brady." We had leaned around and he had pointed them each out to me. They didn't even acknowledge their name as I thought they would have. "The rest won't be back until later this week."

"Ah…" I noticed they were all wearing shirts; it was probably for my sake and not theirs. For some reason I thought that they'd always be half naked at any given moment.

I gave an agitated sigh and picked up my plate with my free hand and started to stand. Seth never let go of my hand as he stood up as well, and grabbed his plate. Only half of it came up and he cursed and let go of my hand for a second and I dashed into the kitchen laughing slightly.

All eyes were on me as I entered. A not so nice glare was coming from Quil, but I ignored it as best as I could and smiled. Emily stood washing dishes and only stopped when she saw my plate.

"Why didn't you eat? You hardly ate anything earlier."

"I'm not that hungry."

She lifted a soap coated hand and pointed to a cabinet. "Get a Styrofoam plate and put your left overs on it, then wrap it with foil. You can eat them later."

As I was dumping the contents of my plate onto the other less sturdy plate, Emily announced that I had made the macaroni and cheesy rice. I about dumped everything into the floor when she said it.

The boys, all except for Quil, went on about how they wanted more cheesy rice and were arguing on why there wasn't more made. Emily and Kim had to stop them from demanding that I make more right that minute and reminded them that we had all been cooking for them all day. Sue wasn't anywhere to be seen. I wanted to ask where she was at, but it would have probably brought upon an awkward conversation.

Emily still wouldn't let me help with the dishes so I stood for a moment looking for the opportune moment to sneak out of the house and head home. Seth came into the kitchen holding his broken plate in his to large hands and dumped it into the trashcan. There was hysterical laughter coming from Brady as he looked between Seth, the trashcan, and me.

I grimaced and looked back at Emily who was busying herself by gathering plates. I watched her for a moment as she came back to where I was standing. I gave her a brief hug.

"Thanks for dinner, will you tell Sue thanks, too?"

"I will." I pulled away and glanced at Seth. "You're heading home already?"

"Yea, I'm worn out." It was a half-truth, I wasn't tired, but I was tired of being here.

She smiled apologetically, "I'm glad you came. Be careful driving home."

"Will do." I turned and plastered a smile on my face and nodded toward the table full of guys and said goodbye to Kim.

With my plate of leftovers in my hands I rushed into the small hall once out of view from the others and slung my bag on my shoulder and shoved my feet into my flip flops. I speed walked to the door and yanked it open and started to run toward my Jeep. In my peripheral vision, I saw a figure and I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep myself from screaming bloody murder.

The figure stepped from the shadows and I slightly stepped back. Adrenaline was pulsing through my veins and I was ready to fend off my unknown attacker, whoever it might be.

"Evie- " The voice called. It was weak and uncertain, but full of malice.

I stopped in my tracks and took a closer look. Leah Clearwater stood aside in the shadows, the faint light illuminating her hair. "Leah? Shouldn't you be inside?" I whispered.

"I have a few questions for you. I promise it won't take long."

"All right." I trembled slightly; I wasn't sure if I was going to like what she had to say or not. I noticed the house had gone quite.

"Please, take no offense; it's all in pure curiosity." She took in a deep breath and whispered, obviously trying to not let our listening party hear what she had to say. "Are you interested in Seth?"

My mouth opened several times. What was I supposed to say to that? A loud ruckus was heard inside. It sounded like Emily was giving the boys a good scolding.

She nodded and continued. "I don't think it would in your best interest if you were interested in him." I felt the air go out of my lungs as she continued. "Being friends is fine, but once you cross that line, both of you will get hurt in the end. I don't want to see that happen to my brother."

I don't know what emotion was on my face, it was one of my last ones, either shock or pain. "That's all we are. We're only friends." I defended feebly.

"I can only hope." She stepped forward and bent down to my level, looking intently in my eyes. "You should keep your distance, though."

My mouth was open, gaping at what she said. Nothing coherent could form, so I stood there open mouthed as she walked into the house.

My vision became doubled and I stumbled toward my Jeep. I flung my stuff into the seat and climbed in. A hand grabbed my door as I began to shut it.

"Evie, about tomorrow-"

"Seth...let's just do it another day, okay?" I growled.

"Sure, now what did Leah say?" His voice became impossibly loud; my ears were ringing from the sheer force of his voice.

"Nothing much."

He mumbled something that sounded like 'liar'.

I pulled on my door, where his quivering hand held it. "Seth, let go of the door. Nothing happened." I was all good until my voice cracked at the end.

That was all he needed. Seth said goodnight and stormed up the path to his house. Determination was clearly evident on his face, another round of fighting at the Clearwater's was at hand.

I revved the engine and peeled out from Seth's house. When I got home, all the lights were on. I climbed the short steps and pushed the door open. The smell of fast food entered my nostrils and for once, it made me sick.

"Evie, is that you?" Mom called. I needed to be alone and sort through my thoughts. I couldn't have a pestering mom on me right now. I would burst. "Evelyn! Why didn't you answer me?" I kept walking, not allowing myself to argue back. "Something happen?" She whispered.

I turned slightly before I shut my door. "Yea, mom, something big happened."


	7. Bargain meals

I threw myself onto my bed, making the bed jolt up and down for a moment. Wallowing wasn't on my agenda, so, I curled deep within my blanket and for the rest of the night I pretended, no matter how childish it seemed, that I had never went to the Clearwater's…

Groggily, I turned on my side. The alarm clock said it was a little after ten. I wanted to sleep in until at least one, so I didn't have to think about anything. It would completely impossible to go back to sleep now, last nights events were already seeping into my thoughts. I groaned and awkwardly rolled out of bed, having to catch myself on the end table so I wouldn't completely fall off.

I made my rounds, bathroom, kitchen, then back to my room. I grabbed my laptop out of my bag and let it start up. Online shopping sounded like a good idea. There's nothing like spending the day spending money I don't have. I clicked my favorite browser and typed in . A Sale! Today must be my lucky day, or maybe I'm just recovering from some bad luck spree. Buying some sort of dress seemed like a good start. I've never really owned a dress, unless you count prom and the stuff from when I was kid. I wonder if the school in La Push has a prom, werewolves in tuxedos would be a site to see. I ended up choosing a teal and purple dress by the name of "colorblock knit dress," it looked more like a thing to go over your swimsuit, but it had potential.

I didn't buy a lot, just a fuzzy jacket, fuzzy knee high boots, the dress, a few tanks, a pair of Bermuda shorts, but it was more than enough to equal over two hundred dollars. Sighing, I pulled my wallet out of my bag and took out dads' credit card. He should think of it as an early birthday present. I entered in all of the needed information and selected 'expedited shipping', and by my calculations, it should arrive by Saturday.

A few more trips to different websites were made, until I knew that I wouldn't be able to get everything from the Internet, I needed to get a few things in person, undergarments, a bathing suit, more jeans, and long sleeve shirts. Jeans were a must, wearing high waters for the next few weeks was not very appealing. I bet I could get out and back in La Push without anyone noticing. I hesitated for a moment and took from my dresser 'Cosmo Girl, The Backpack Astrologer' and flipped to Virgo. May…May…I about burst into a fit of laughter at how dead on it was. I had definitely gone to a place that was green, too green actually. I kept reading and pursed my lips. Nothing bad is supposed to happen today, and it had it wrong, yesterday was a bad day, not a lucky day. I growled and threw it in the floor. I'm big on Horoscopes, even if half the time it's completely wrong.

I was determined to get to Port Angeles without anyone stopping me. The clothing I had worn yesterday was still on me, so I didn't change, there was no reason to. I did not bother on writing a note, I wasn't going to be gone for long and I would be back way before my mom even considered coming home. As I dashed out the door, I looked all around me, to see if some werewolf was going to stop me from leaving. When I was safe in my car, I let out a cry of victory and sped off toward Port Angeles. I kept looking out my window as I made my way toward the border. I didn't know exactly where the border was, but I figured if I could get to the 101, I'd be home free.

The radio was on, as I was trying to distract myself from the feeling that I was being followed. I hope the wolves know that if they step out in front of me I would not be able to stop going seventy; I would run over their sorry butts. Fortunately, I made it to the 101 without being pulled over or being stopped by the wolves.

I relaxed and slowed down a tad, I wasn't in a rush, just a little hurry. There is difference. My thoughts drifted to where I didn't want them to go. Leah. I knew what she meant. She didn't want Seth or I to end up hating one another. Maybe it was an act of sisterly compassion. I knew her to be mean and uncooperative. It was unclear if she and Emily were on talking terms, the last I read she was still having thoughts about Sam. Poor Leah, but Sam didn't have a choice, she has to realize this, but to lose the love of your life. I couldn't imagine what that would be like, but maybe this was her way of dealing with it. Maybe her telling me this was a bigger warning that what it was supposed to be.

Seth, he was something else. It was comforting to be in his presence, so easy; we didn't even have to try to be normal around each other. It came so naturally and our friendship was even quicker. Maybe Leah had seen this. It was officially ruled out, I wasn't Seth's imprint. It hurt more than it should, to know I wasn't the one for goofy Seth. I don't think I could take us not being friends. No, there was so much there. Maybe Seth wouldn't imprint, maybe I would get my happy ending with Seth, maybe we would grow old together and watch the waves at the end of the day when he was done patrolling. The corners of my lips pulled down. Selfish. I should want Seth to imprint, to be with the love of his life. I should want him to be happy, but who am I to decide what _Seth_ wants? It's all on Seth, what he wants to do, I would follow his lead.

I came to a conclusion as I pulled into Wal-Mart.

My relationship with Seth was reminding Leah of how her's and Sams once was.

If I had a relationship with Seth, would it be instantly doomed? Possibly. Would it mess up our friendship if he did imprint. I cringed as I stepped out of the Jeep. Definitely. Of course, if things came to that, would I turn into another Leah? I stopped. Was she warning me that I was slowly turning into her?

A honking horn brought me out of my new discovery. I had stopped in the middle of the thru-traffic lane in front of the entrance. If I kept this up, I was going to get myself killed. I quickly ran toward the automatic doors and sighed. Coming here was a bad idea.

Though, I was already here, and if I left I would just come back in a few days. So, I grabbed a buggy and pushed toward the clothing section. I threw long sleeve shirts into the buggy, I didn't care what color they were, I wasn't that picky. I started to do the same thing with the jeans but I decided I should at least try a pair on. I grabbed about five pairs of pants off a shelf and went to the dressing room.

The jeans were my regular size along with a petite. Anything besides a petite was always a mile to long on me. Boy was I surprised. The jeans were high-waters on me. Had I grown that much? I stood back and looked myself over. I looked the same, nothing looked to different. I could see my skin had a glow to it, my hair was a bit shinier, and maybe I looked a bit more toned, but nothing drastic. I was tempted to kick the wall, to relive the sudden frustration I felt, but instead I just pulled off the jeans and went to find some that would actually look like pants on me.

I browsed around for another hour, picking up a pink striped bikini that contrasted well with my skin, some undergarments, and a few pair of shorts. My favorite t-shirts were men's called _Hanes ComfortSoft crewneck_, getting three for ten dollars is what I call a deal. I was putting my second pack into my buggy when I spied a werewolf.

"Brady?" I hissed.

He looked up at me with a shocked face. I could tell he was debating on bolting to somewhere safe, but he strolled up to me and started to look at the shirts. "Hey, Eves. I was looking for the shirts. You helped me find them. Thanks." He snatched a random one off and he started to walk away. "See ya."

"You got the wrong size." He stopped mid-walk and slightly turned back toward me. "You picked a medium."

He went from puzzled to horror struck in a matter of seconds. "Are you saying this isn't my size?" He gasped and marched back to me.

"That's right. You wouldn't even be able to get it over your shoulders." I smiled sweetly.

Brady grumbled and snatched out another size. "Better?"

"Much."

He spun on his heel and I grabbed his arm, before he had a chance to leave. "We both know you aren't really going to buy that. So, tell me, why are you spying on me?"

Emotions played over his face. "I…uh…"

"Seth sent you?"

His face fell slightly and gave a defeated sigh. "Maybe…"

"Why didn't he come himself?"

"He's – uh, grounded." His large hand started to scratch his neck and he was looking mighty uncomfortable. I was going into werewolf territory.

"Why?"

"He got into an argument with Leah. Sue…didn't like the words he used." A grin spread across his face. I narrowed my eyes. That wasn't the whole story, I just knew they were gonna duke it out one day or another.

"Oh, well. I'm fine, you can go back to La Push and play." I made a show with my hands and he mumbled something incoherent.

I tossed another package of shirts into the buggy and scrutinized Brady for another moment. "You know, Brady, I didn't think you would come all the way to Port Angeles just because Seth asked you to."

"Eh, well, no. There was an exchange." I raised my brow and my eyes widened. "And I wasn't supposed to tell you that. You weren't even supposed to see me." A small sigh escaped his mouth.

"An exchange? Wait, does this have anything to do with him being grounded?"

Brady nodded and smiled was so large that small dimples shown, he really was just a kid.

This was beyond annoying. "So, let me guess what the exchange was about." I suggested.

His eyes instantly became guarded and he nodded again.

"Okay, well, you're here already. Being the babysitter, for lack of a better word. How long is Seth grounded?"

"Till Sue says so." He shuffled his feet a little. "But, I bet it will only be about four days."

"Right, Sunday then." I folded my arms and closed my eyes. "How long is this exchange good for?"

He didn't say anything. I peeked open one of my eyes. He was looking down grinning impishly.

"Aw, no. No, no. You cannot do that Brady! Not for four days!"

"Sorry, but it was a good exchange."

"Then let _us_ come to an agreement."

"Whatcha thinking?" A light came into his eyes, he must like getting things his way and getting something out of it.

I racked my brain for information. Werewolves like food, lots of food. "Food?" My foot started to tap impatiently.

"How much food are we talking about?"

"All of the cheesy rice you want?"

"As much as I want?" There was a moment of silence as he debated on his new found food source. "For how long?"

"Two weeks." That was actually a very long time, longer than it should be, but anything to get a stubborn werewolf off my back.

I couldn't be sure, but it looked like he was salivating right in front of me. It was kind of disgusting.

"So, all I have to do is come over and you'll make me some?"

"Of course and I'll make extra so you can take some home with you." I stuck my finger into his chest. "But if I so much as find out you're still following me. I will pump all of the food you've gotten from me out of your stomach. Mark my words." I threatened.

"Done." A wolfish grin spread across his face and he stuck out his hand.

My own hand grasped his warm one. "Deal."

"Well, it looks like I should be heading back. You should do the same." My mouth fell open; he could not honestly think I was going to obey him. He backtracked. "I meant that, um, well you're going to make me cheesy rice, later. Right?"

I slumped onto the buggy's handle. "Yeah, Brady, I'll make you some when I get back."

"Great! See ya soon!" He called as he loped gracefully toward the exit.

What a mess. He would probably eat five casserole dishes before he even became half-way full. How am I supposed to cook that much? I wasn't watching where I was going and I ended up ramming into a stack full of drinks. They swayed slightly, but luckily stayed where they were. A few teenagers, around my age, snickered and kept looking at me. That's right keep laughing, I bet you wouldn't think it was funny if you had a gigantic wolf eating you out of house and home on your mind. In fact, I think that I'm dealing quite well with the fact that there are mythical creatures. There's still the point that have actually _seen_ them yet. I was still waiting for the chance to see one of them in their wolf form. I bet it's awesome. Their fur is supposedly soft, as Bella had described, but when would I get the chance to curl up in the grass with a wolf? Never. As it was going, they would never let me in no the infamous La Push secret, reserved for descendants carrying the wolf gene, their imprints, and the carriers immediate family.

I cursed loudly as I cleaned out Wal-Mart's supply of white rice. Thirty-two bags of rice. What did one person need that many bags of rice for? I could practically hear the thoughts of people as I passed by as I made my way up and down every isle grabbing food that would catch my eye. It was embarrassing to have people stare at me. I wanted to shout 'It's not for me, I'm holding it for a friend!'. But really, when would I ever see these people again?

The frozen goods were piled on top of all the other stuff, it was official, with all this food I could be feeding another country, but no I was feeding one aggravating werewolf. The girl at the checkout counter groaned, then plastered a smile on her face, as she greeted me. I really hate checking out, it's the worst. The person scans the item, you wait, another item, you wait, repeat process three hundred more times, then pay, while the person greedily eyes your money. Maybe it's just me, but I always seems to get the worst checkout people, I remember when I was shopping in my rival schools district and the girl went so far as to bash me then ignore me.

I hung my head avoiding the cashiers' eyes as she scanned each item, she gave a few huffs every now and then, but this was her job. It took forever; a long line had built up behind me, who were making their displeasure known. I pity the next person I have to deal with; I'm letting all my steam out on them.

"Ma'am, you're total is five-hundred and forty-two dollars and eleven cents." Her voice was monotone, but she kept eyeing me like something was wrong with me.

I repeated the same process as I had earlier today; everything went on my dad's credit card. Thankfully, the card wasn't declined. As I started to push the buggy away, I could almost hear a sigh of relief from the line and the cashier. My cart full of necessities was heavy and I was practically pushing with all my might. The latch on the back of the Jeep popped soundlessly open and I started to pile everything in. About halfway in, it started to rain cats and dogs. My arms were hurting by the time everything was in there, but the comfort the Jeep had was worth it. The warm massaging seats and heater worked wonders on my sore body.

It was still raining as I reached my little house in La Push, it was amazing that I actually made it home without getting lost, unless I count earlier when I turned wrong and headed for Sequim…

Puddles were everywhere and my feet sank into them, caking mud up to my ankles. My arms were full of bags as I kick opened my door. The sound of the TV filled my ears. My mom was not supposed to be home. I cautiously entered. On my couch, sprawled out, was a werewolf. Not just any wolf, the one that was going to be begging me for food everyday for the next two weeks.

"Brady!" Everything I had in my hands I dumped on to the table. "I don't wanna know how you got in here, but make yourself useful and help me with the groceries!"

He groaned and beat me to the door. Those wolf powers sure do come in handy. He about had everything in his large arms as he strolled by like it was nothing. I shook my head in amazement and retrieved the last of the stuff and locked my Jeep up, remembering to set the alarm.

Brady helped me put up everything, except for my clothes, which he blushed furiously at. He couldn't even form words when he opened the bag full of undergarments. His face was priceless. If that's what I would get every time I bought something like that when he was over to help me, I'd let him open the bag over and over again.

Three hours later the house was finally quite. I had sent Brady home with six gallons bags full of cheesy rice. At this rate, I would be making trips to Forks every three days just to buy rice.

Four in the afternoon and nothing to do. That was okay, everyday for the next two weeks I'd at least get to see one werewolf. I was staying mixed up in the mythical world of Twilight, even if it killed me, or should I say, till Sam deems me a risk to the pack secret. If worst came to worst, maybe I would be willing to even spill the beans…


	8. Breathless

**Friday- May 30th**

Seven twenty-eight am. Early. Sleep.

Those were the first things to enter my thoughts as my mom yelled for me. Sleep. My fingers curled around the blanket and I pulled it over my head.

"So help me Evelyn. If you're still laying in bed…" Her voice trailed off and the door to my room creaked open. "Huh, Evelyn, get up. You've got three really big boxes in the kitchen."

Boxes? My clothes! My feet hit the ground and I ran, leaving my mom in a daze.

Three huge boxes sat on the floor waiting for me to unwrap them. "They're here! They're here!" I sang.

"What's here?" I could feel her pointed stare drilling itself into the back of my head.

"My clothes." I said dismissively.

"Evie, I could have taken you shopping."

"Yes, you could have, that is, if I wanted to look like a secretary." I grasped her hands and stared at her. "Oh please don't make me send them back."

She eyed me cautiously. "Have you grown?"

I shrugged. "I'm a little taller."

The phone rang cutting her off from saying anything else.

I tore off the tape to the closest box and started to shift through the contents as I listened to her answer the phone.

"Hello? Oh, hi Sue." A pause. "Yes, I think its happening." Another pause. "At least three inches."

What in the world, are they talking about?

"No, not that I saw…No, don't say anything, not yet." My mom glanced over and saw that I was listening and left for her room.

I've about had my fill of the secrecy around here. My incredible deductible skills were mere child's play with whatever mom was scheming. I didn't like it one bit.

I grew restless just sitting in the house all day and I still had another three or four hours of daylight. There was no reason for me to stay at my empty home, so I drove to the beach. When I arrived, the weather was picking up and the waves were pounding into the surrounding cliffs. It was mesmerizing. I started to walk right along where the water was gracefully pulling itself backwards and forwards, and I let the water seep into my shoes.

I heard a shout coming from behind me and I turned to see an extremely tall guy chasing after a little toddler. She had a bright blue dress on and sandals, she was running for all she was worth, and the guys shouts only made her giggle harder. When he finally had enough, he scooped her up into his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek and she squealed out something that sounded like 'Quuel'. Quuel? Quil? As in, werewolf Quil and his imprint Claire? The Quil who wanted to rip me up into little pieces and serve me to the rest of the pack for lunch? He had a completely different look about him when he was with Claire.

He looked up noticing my staring and then shock registered on his face. It was as if he hadn't seen me in years, or he never _thought _he would see me _again_. He walked forward, just standing a few feet away from me. He gazed appraisingly at me and I felt like a kid being scolded by their parents. It was uncomfortable, until he spoke and that made it even worse.

"Evelyn." He used my whole name and I felt the need to nod, but it was more like a statement. I was pretty sure, they all agreed on the fact that we aren't supposed to be friends, even my newest werewolf friend Brady, after all, he was just using me to get food and I was completely fine with that. "Why'd you come here?" Unlike the way Sue had said it, his tone was angry and he seemed to want me gone. No, he wanted me gone, there was no 'seem' to it.

My jaw clenched and ground together as I glared at him. "That happens to be none of your business."

A woman appeared just a little ways off and Claire scrambled out his arms and ran to her, I could only assume it was her mother.

"Anything that goes on around here is my business." He seemed to struggle with his anger and a shudder went through his body. He crossed his arms and became menacingly intimidating.

"Until I get documented proof that you are indeed an elder, a government agent, or some damn police officer, even then it wouldn't entitle you to know why I am here, but until you do it's nothing you need to be concerned with." I felt myself shaking and I knew then that I had forgotten my bag in the car; I needed to get out here quick before wolf boy became, well, a wolf. Rule number two for living in Washington, don't piss off the locals.

As I stepped around him, his hand clasped itself around my arm. "You would do best not get around Seth anymore." His large hot hand was squeezing my arm and I had to bite back my lip in pain.

"Seth's a big boy, I'm sure he can tell what he can and can't do without your help." I spat the words and tried to pull myself from his grip, only he wasn't having it that way. All that anger was rising, I was about to blow a fuse. Werewolf or not.

"Quil!" Called another large guy, who came running from the direction I had just sent he woman take the little girl. I recognized Embry immediately. In a matter of seconds, his hand was on Quils' back who just shrugged it off. "Dude, come on. I don't like it either, but we have no say." Embry then looked at me and the grip Quil had me in. "Let her go, Quil."

He grudgingly let me go and I stepped back, running my hand over the place. I knew for sure it was going to bruise; it was on fire, like those Indian sunburns my uncle used to give me, when he would rub the skin really hard and really fast then squeeze it. I was still shaking, even worse than before and my vision was becoming visibly dimmer, and Embry started eyeing me nervously. Quil had taken off somewhere, I didn't see him.

"Are you okay? You look like you're gonna be sick." He made no attempt to move. Then realization hit him. He knew about my condition. Stupid pack plural.

"I'm fine." I snapped and wobbly began to make my way to my Jeep, stumbling along the way. When had I last eaten? I was never this careless when it came to my condition, but for the last few days it's been slipping my mind. I grabbed for the handle. I pulled on it and I swung backwards, nearly falling, but smacked into warm body. I didn't turn around to see who it was I just climbed into the car and blindly reached into my bag for my pouch that housed my supplies.

I could feel the guy beside, he was saying something, but everything around me was blocked out. My fingers slid the pouch open and inside rested my pills, and I reached back within my bag and grabbed a small juice container. My shaky hands opened the pill bottle and I popped them into my mouth while I chugged down the juice.

Someone's arm slipped around my shoulder, but I held up my hand as I went completely still. I waited. This was possibly the only time I refused to get frustrated, it wouldn't help me. Light perspiration trickled down my face and I wiped it away. Minutes passed before I felt even the slightest bit better. I looked over to the person whose arm was still around my shoulder. It was the guy who saved me from being wolf meat, Embry, and he looked terrified. I smiled lightly and he sighed, but made no attempt to move. I can't keep doing this, so I pulled out my phone and set it go off every five hours.

Embry decided to speak up then, "This happen often?"

"Naw, well, lately it has, but it's my own fault. I've kinda been forgetting." I grimaced, and he knew what I was talking about, even if he didn't say.

"Look, I'm sorry about Quil, he's a good guy, it's just he's a little…thickheaded." He looked away from my gaze and I had to ask.

"What about you? Are you as thickheaded?" I tried not to sound rude, but it came out that way anyway.

"Me?" He scratched his head with his free hand, "I think I can be opened minded, for the most part."

I nodded. "So you remember me?"

His face lite up. "I sure do!" He said enthusiastically. He removed his arm from my shoulder and grinned.

My eyes narrowed. "I thought you didn't like me."

"Never said that, I just said I didn't agree." So, agreeing that Seth couldn't be friends with me, but himself being able to like me, was, what okay?

"That doesn't seem fair." I stated and he shrugged. "Why should you be able to like me and yet not like that Seth likes me?"

"It's different and complicated."

"Sure it is."

His shoulders slumped considerably. "Are you gonna be fine? Can you make it back to your own house without taking out the whole town?"

A mock of horror came on my face, "Please, don't put me in the category of bad drivers. I've yet to have even one wreck." Saying that made me think about Seth and what Sue had said which caused me to laugh some. Embry raised his eyebrow. "Just thinking of a conversation I had with Sue."

His brows furrowed and he smiled, again, he knew what I was talking about. "Well, see ya around." He started to walk off, but I had one more question.

"Does this mean you won't ignore me the next time you see me?" A smug smile was plastered on my face and I thought I had over stepped my boundaries of knowing too much, but he only laughed.

"We'll have to see." I shook my head and began to head home. So, it was official there were now two werewolves that hated my guts, one that liked me, another who was a food grubber, and the other was more or less unsure of how he stood. I would take it. Being unsure was better than wanting to maul me.

* * *

Everyday became something to look forward too after that. I'd get in a new box delivered, make Brady's bargain meal, and hang out with him for a few hours. I loved spending everyday cooking for my newly made werewolf acquaintance. It was a jittery feeling, cooking for someone who wasn't even supposed to exist. It was weird, even though hundreds of millions already knew about Twilight, but at the same time they didn't know it was real, I reveled in that fact.

I thought Sunday would never get here. I was glad for the break in getting new clothes, I had become a little compulsive, always organizing, always making sure everything lined up correctly, I really need a life. Today was different. According to Brady, Seth was supposed to be ungrounded today. How is it possible to ground a wolf in the first place? Obviously Seth has responsibilities, but who was to stop him from coming to see me? There was only person capable of doing that. Sam Uley. The _man_ himself or should I say wolf? He was to determine everything that happened. I was not looking forward to meeting him and being banished away.

Today felt lucky though. I just knew that I was going to see Seth, one way or another. The new clothes I gotten came in handy. I decked myself in Bermuda shorts, a tank, and a small three-quarter length sleeve jacket, it was not only cute, but comfortable.

All day I waited. No one showed up. No Brady. No Seth. Was I so easily forgotten? That was a given.

Killing a few more hours sounded like a good idea. No better way of doing so than by running, but maybe I would see Seth. Now, I'm not to big fan of running, but for my new shoes, I would definitely run. They were amazing. Shock absorbers, gel insoles, and best of all they were orange and silver. Beautiful.

The starting point was at my house. I jogged all around La Push, by the small stores, the school, Seth's house, and the beach. I hadn't been there since my encounter with Quil. I had just hit First Beach when I saw the wolves. There were six, but no Leah. They were gathered around a large fire, laughing, and punching each other.

I tried not to stare as I ran by. It looked as if they were having some kind of party. I pushed myself faster, wanting nothing more than to run away and remove myself from their view.

A familiar voice called out to me. I skidded to a stop and turned around. Silly Seth was running toward me with his arms outstretched. He swept me up into my favorite hug and swung me around and around until I felt like the contents of my stomach wanted out.

"Man, did you grow since I last saw you?" He asked as he lowered me to my feet.

"Uh, not you too! My mom said the same thing." I mumbled. He gave me a puzzled look. I continued. "So, I thought you had forgotten about me."

"How could I?" He proceeded to sweep me up into his arms, but a loud commanding voice called out to him. I was halfway over his shoulder as he turned to face the voice. I craned my neck to see who called to him. My eyes about popped out of their sockets. There stood three new werewolves, bare chested with equally disapproving frowns on their faces.

"Seth. Come. We need to talk." Called the voice from the middle of the three, I guessed that it was Sam.

Seth sighed and sat me down. "It's good to see you again, Evie. I'll be over- soon."

His large body moved and I was now in the direct line of sight for the three wolves.

A sharp intake of breath was heard. Automatically I focused on the wolf to Sam's left. He was stunning, his russet skin glimmered in the descending light, and he was perfectly toned. My eyes traveled the length of his body and then I looked into his eyes.

And that's when my world stopped.


	9. Welcoming

Liquid brown warmth stared back at me. I was pinned in place, not moving, my breathing coming out shallow, and my knees feeling shaky. A deep look of concentration was etched into his face and then frustration took over. The guy started to shake, but I couldn't look away. I was trapped. Lured. It was intoxicating to say the least.

I became aware of the voices around me, swimming in my ears. I was right under the surface, drowning.

"Man, I thought this was supposed to be you're welcoming home party, Jake?" Called one of the wolf boys.

"It's not my party anymore." Said Jake.

"That's for sure!" Chimed in another.

"Hey, Paul cool it. You're gonna scare her off." Jake said while clamping his large hand on his shoulder.

Paul's right hand was slightly outstretched toward me and only broke our eye contact when Jacob violently steered him away.

The spell was broken when he was out of my sight and I was literally gasping for air. Everything in my vision became clear again and I looked up to see Embry slinging his large arm around my neck.

"Well that was _interesting_." He mocked and pulled me close. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other." He cheered.

I was about to retort when the most awful howl of pain filled the air and I knew who it was. Immediately I pulled out of Embry's arms and took a few steps forward until I was pulled back. That howl, it reminded me of Jacob when Edward revealed that he was marrying Bella in Eclipse.

A howl of agony, of defeat. It twisted itself within my heart and played violently over and over again in my head.

The wolf boys were staring into the woods letting off a string of profanities and stealing glances at me.

An upset looking Sam came out of the woods where he had led Seth into just moments before. "Party is still on guys." He looked over at me as if he were fighting an internal battle. "You're welcome to come too, Evelyn." With that, he just walked back up to the bonfire where the rest of the pack was waiting.

"So you gonna stay Evie? Huh? I think you should." Embry laughed and started to trudge back to the others while holding me to his side.

"No, no, I'm not staying." I said while pushing on him. "Come on Embry, let me go."

"Aw, stay. Please?" He knelt down and started to pet my head as if I were some animal needing to be coaxed. "It'll be fun and you'll get to hear scary stories. Billy is going to tell all the old legends. You can't miss it."

Tempting, but need I forget the werewolf who stared me down? The werewolf…that…that…I shall not even think the word now. I looked over at the gathered werewolves all talking intently and to low for me to hear. "But I thought that they…didn't like me?"

"Ah, well, they just need to get to know you."

"And Quil?" Yup, I was worried about him.

"Same. Trust me when I say he's a good guy."

"You promise that he won't make menaced meat out of me if I did decide to stay?"

Laughter erupted all around me. Embry, plus all the other wolves had heard me. Quil was trying to keep an emotionless face, but his façade broke some and tiny grin appeared. Even Sam had a broad smile playing upon his face. "I promise. I don't think you'd taste that good anyway." His head fell and he was quite for a moment. "What kind of shoes are those?" He asked obviously disgusted.

"Nice ones." I pouted.

"Yea, yea. They're like kids shoes, but you're the size of kid, so I guess it makes sense."

"Well at least I don't have gigantic clown feet." I hissed.

"Take it easy." He went back to petting my head. "So, you're staying?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He grinned triumphantly and pulled me to the group and I awkwardly sat beside him on a piece of drift wood.

The mood was light for the wolves, but for me everything was suffocating. Seth hadn't came back yet. That bothered me endlessly. I refused to think about the other wolf and the cause for all this. Sure, I wanted to hear the stories, but not this way, never this way. Was I being punished? Surely I was.

The roar of a vehicle approached, inside I could faintly make out Emily and Kim. I jumped up and ran to them offering to help with the food. They both shared curious glances, but didn't object as I carried the food to the table set up. There was so much of it! I thought that we had made a lot the last time I was at the Clearwater's, but this put it to shame.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw both Emily and Kim being pulled over by Sam and Jared; no doubt, they were going to catch them up on the latest pack scandal. I finished getting out the food and slumped back towards the group. Instead of sitting by Embry I sat away from everyone, on an unoccupied piece of wood, that was still apart of the circle. What a terrible idea to stay here. I felt another presence and shifted to my right. Seth was sitting beside me, a blank look across his face. I slumped down even more and placed my elbows on my legs and propped up my head. Neither of us said anything. So this was how it was going to be.

Emily called out to us saying the food was ready to be eaten and everyone, except for Seth and I, jumped up.

"Hey Seth…" I choked out after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"Yea?"

"We're still friends, right?" I don't know why I wanted the answer or why I needed to ask.

"Friends." He mused for the longest time. "Just friends." His face turned to me and I could tell he was torn beneath that horrible mask.

"Sure." I whispered and stared back at the fire. Everything had changed.

His warmth left my side and he joined the others. No one was looking at me; no one was paying me any mind. I could easily slip away and no one would ever know. And that's what I did. I quietly left the large group and when I was out of view ran back to my house. I didn't get far though. I was stopped by a large Quileute, the one by the name of Jacob Black, the one I had had day dreams about, and the one who got his heart broken.

He was standing in my path looking sadly at me. "Say, you aren't leaving already, are you?"

"I- um…I didn't feel welcomed." I shifted my hair over my shoulder, trying to make a curtain to shield the oncoming tears that were threatening to fall. I wasn't one for crying, but I've had a trying day.

"You're not crying are you?" He asked incredulously.

"No." I lied. I was doing a lot of that.

I felt his arms wrap around me and he started to pull me to a small cliff where we sat down. "Let's stay here for awhile. I didn't want a party anyway. We'll go back when my dad comes to tell the stories."

I nodded and settled against his side. "Why didn't you want a party?"

He sighed and threw a pebble out toward the beach. "It's really nothing to celebrate. So what? I came back. I really can't say if I'm going to stay or not."

"But everyone missed you." I pointed out.

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I've missed them too. My dad especially." Another sigh enveloped him. "So, what about you? Why are you running away?"

He was eager to change the subject, but I grimaced. "It's complicated."

"We have loads of time." He said while nudging me gently in the ribs.

"I can't explain it." I ran my hand over a small rock. "Though, I do want to get an opinion."

"Sure."

"What if- no. Um, do you think things can be changed?"

"What exactly are we talking about?"

"Just go with it."

"All right." He leaned back on one of his hands. "Some things, yea, depending on what you want. Then there are the things that are set in stone, which it's not possible to change, to go against nature, what your heart wants. That's where the pain lies."

I had a feeling we weren't talking about me now, but I was determined not to be the cause of Jacob leaving again. "What if I went against nature?"

He gave a small sad smile. "I don't think you'd be able to."

My fist came in contact with the ground and the sound of the rocks clanking together was heard. "This is so unfair." I whimpered.

"You've got a bit of a temper don't you?"

"Naw, frustration is more like it."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say." He seemed to be listening to something. "Come on. Seth and Paul are going crazy, they're calling for you."

I yawned and pulled myself up off the ground. "Here we go again."

"Don't fall asleep on us." He scolded playfully as we began to walk back. "Listen, if you could, would you be a little opened minded toward Paul? He didn't mean to come off angry or anything. Bad timing." He muttered.

"Anything you wish." I replied sarcastically, earning myself a great big glare. "Fine, if possible I will try to be open minded." I used my fingers as quotations. We joked like that for a few more minutes as he lead the way back to bonfire. Jake was really nice, depressed at times, a hard mask on when something came up that reminded him of Bella, but he was still the same Jake I had read about. That only left one question and I was about to ask it before we arrived.

I grabbed his arm and he looked at me questionably. "I have one more question, before we go on further." I whispered.

His eyes widened and he shrank to my level.

"I hope you don't get mad or anything, but how long were you gone?"

"About a year." He replied just as quietly.

"Oh." So, did this mean Breaking Dawn was over? That meant he came back around the same time he left. A phrase stood out to me as I peered into the werewolf's eyes.

_A clean break._

"Why'd you wanna know?"

"Did it help any?"

Pain constricted across his face and he cast his eyes downward, avoiding my gaze. I dropped my hand from his arm, but he surprised me by grabbing a hold to my hand. "In some ways, yes. But…even though I think it might have helped me, all it did was cause the people I love pain. I might know this now, but even if I had known it then, I would have still left." He chucked darkly, it sounded completely wrong with the surrounding atmosphere. "You could call it emotional self help."

I gazed in awe at the boy in front of me, people didn't Jacob enough credit. He was in pain, pain that hurt and ached throughout his entire body, and he was trying desperately not to forget her, and not to think of her at the same time. It's a miracle that he's not in a zombie mode. Just as Bella had been in, everything fit, but Bella wouldn't come back for Jacob. He would have to wait for someone to fill that void, that is, if he would let them.

He gave me a meaningful look as if he were deciphering my thoughts. "You're not going to leave are you?"

"No."

Another skeptical look passed over his face. "Don't make me have to spend the night with you."

"Psh, like my mom would let you."

"I'm sneaky." It was then I noticed when he smiled it was forced, everything he did was forced, his jokes, even when he was barely forming a sentence, all of it was an act that he tried to make real.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thanks, Jacob."

He just patted my head as Embry had done earlier. "Come on. Let's go."


	10. A State of Denial

As we made our way back to the group, I clung to Jacob. He found it amusing and maybe a little irritating, but I didn't care. He was the only one who, if told, could remotely grasp the situation that's taking place. I took a little comfort in that. If Jacob Black could live through something like this, then why couldn't I?

We crossed a small clearing and then the gathering came into view. It looked as if the whole council was there. Paul was pacing back and forth his mouth moving extremely fast, and Embry was snickering like an idiot and holding onto Brady who was also getting a kick out of the sight. I didn't see Seth, the person who I wanted to see.

"Jake returns! And with a small offering!" Embry crowed. Both Jacob and I shot him a glare.

I felt him give me a slight pat on my back and slightly pushed me forward. My eyes wandered over to Paul who was slowly walking to me, as if not to scare me.

I _was _the small offering. Suddenly I was reminded of King Kong. The girl with her arms bound by rope as she screamed for her life as King Kong stalked toward her, taking her away and eventually falling in love with her beauty. Beauty killed the beast; he gave his life to protect her, as she would have surely given hers.

Everything was quiet. No one was talking and I could feel the gazes of everyone on us. His speed picked up when he was only a few feet away and he pulled me up into a fiery hug. My arms hung limply at my sides, what was I supposed to do? Hugging him back would be the most logical explanation, but I waited in the awkward silence. His breathe trickled in my ear as he slowly set me down and his staring once again resumed.

It wasn't as intense, but it did the trick. I blushed and he seemed to like the effect it had on me.

"I never did introduce myself. I'm Paul." His voice was husky and unusually formal. Was he trying to 'woo' me?

"Evelyn." I managed after a moment of looking away from his probing eyes.

"Evelyn." He echoed and his large slide down my arms and grasped my wrists.

A familiar buzzing made me jump back. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone. It was time for me to eat.

"Sorry." I muttered. I wasn't upset that it ruined the little moment, I was glad.

I glanced from up under my lashes to look at him who looked confused. My arm grazed his as I slipped by, heading for Emily who was putting up the containers of food. He was following me. I knew I wasn't going to be able to bribe this werewolf.

"Emily. Aw, is all the food gone?" My voice was a whine.

She chuckled as she took a plate from up under the table filled with Barbeque, peas, and rolls. "I fixed your plate before the boys came."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much. You're the best." I hugged her neck.

"You're welcome, Evie." She glanced behind me and gave a knowing smile. "I see you have a tagalong. Paul, there's no more food and don't you dare take anything from her."

"I wasn't gonna." He replied, he reminded me of a five year old. One moment formal and during another, he was a complete kid.

Her smile focused back on me. "You better go ahead and take seat, Billy is already setting up."

I nodded and headed for the fire. Small chatter had resumed. I was grateful for that.

I sat down on a vacant log and began to pick at my food. After a few small bites, I realized I was hungry and started to eat at a faster pace. Paul wasn't around me and a quick peek over my shoulder showed he was talking to Emily. I could almost see the mental notes he was taking.

Billy sat up straight and looked around at everyone, his eyes even rested on me for a half-second. An honored feeling came over me, I can't believe I was going to go home rather than listen to the Quileute stories. The stories that were mine as well, how could I not see that?

"We all know why we're here." Billy spoke; his voice held a majestic edge and I felt my hand hesitating at my mouth. "I'm happy to welcome home my son who's been gone far too long." He choked up at the end, but smiled. The flickers of flames played upon his face, making his eyes glow, and the contours of his aged face stand out even more.

My hand slowly lowered itself and I leaned forward to wrapped up in the fact that I was about to hear the legends, than noticing the person beside me, my eyes were intently locked on Billy Black.

He cleared his throat and began the story. "The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning, and we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been a magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting – that comes later. First, we were spirit warriors."

Never was I so enthralled by the legends till now. I was back in Kaheleha's time watching the spirit army fend off the invading enemy tribe. Then transported to the last Great Spirit warriors time, Chief Taha Aki. I listened as Utlapa stole the Chiefs body and pretended to be him and forbade anyone to enter the spirit world. When the part of Chief Taha Aki sharing a body with the wolf came up, I could feel the ends of my hair stand on the back of my neck, they were staring at me gauging my reaction.

Billy spoke with such precision as he told the transformation from wolf to man, my mouth opened in awe and I felt my mouth curve up into a 'u' shape as he talked about his third wife, his imprint. He continued on into the third wife's sacrifice, one that I was hoping would be told by Old Quil, but he was not there to my dissatisfaction.

"Taha Wi led the five other wolves in his pack on a search throughout the mountains, looking for any evidence of the missing Makahs. They came across something they had never encountered before – a strange, sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain." The way he told it made me cringe, and I was squirming within myself as his pace picked up. "They found traces of human scent, and human blood, along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy they were searching for."

I shivered slightly as he told of the fight between the wolves and the enemy of the Makahs and when he told of the elders looking at the pieces trying to reassemble itself, I thought he would bring out the small bag of its ashes. That did not happen, probably for my sake, everyone else knew it was real, they didn't think I knew. I was seeing similarities between the Twilight world, me knowing about the Twilight characters, but no one else knowing and the Quileutes knowing that werewolves and vampires are real, but not knowing that everyone else, including myself, knowing about them. A big bowl of confusing mess.

"They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone…" A bloodsucker. Where was my civility now? I was as bad as the wolves speaking with such derogatory terms, at least I hadn't spoken it aloud, that would have been disastrous.

I felt the plate being removed from my lap and I sunk lower pulling my knees to my chest, without the fear of having a big mess on my hands. Billy continued once again pulling me back into the werewolf world of another year. The images popped up one by one, the beautiful leech killing the unsuspecting people, the bloodsucker killing Yaha Uta in front of the third wife, and Taha Aki having no chance of winning.

"The third wife ran toward the Cold Woman with the dagger raised high…And then the third wife did something the Cold Woman did not expect. She fell onto her knees at the blood drinker's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart." Instantly I grabbed my own chest as he finished the tale. If I had been in her place, I would not have killed myself, cut off my arm maybe, but killed myself, no, I don't think I could do that. Maybe that's what made her story so good. Her ability to give the greatest sacrifice and not think twice about it. It's what she wanted, she saved her people, her sons, her husband, but at a price. Tears were falling over the brim of my eyes and I silently wiped them away as Billy talked about the bigger coven and the treaty made with them.

"And so, the sons of our tribe carry the burden and the burden their fathers endured before them…" His voice faded out as I realized he told the whole story, even the ending about the Cullen's and the descendants being werewolves. My eyes trailed from Billy to the fire that was slowly dieing down. So this was not only Jacobs welcoming home party, but a sort of initiation to the club, for me at least, a last minute addition.

Soft murmurs were heard all around me, I couldn't really hear what they were saying, I was trying to keep up with everything. The present and the past mingling, it's hard to imagine that almost everyone here is some sort of descendant from Taha Aki, and that they all shared the same gene. It's so unreal and yet here they are, sitting right in front of me. Again, a feeling of awe rushed over me and I felt warm breath being blown into my ear.

"How did you like the legends?" A husky voice asked from my side.

A little gasp escaped my lips as I recognized the voice. After one little encounter I was so attuned to it, the sound, the soft rumbling, and always a hint of playfulness. "They were amazing." I whispered, not looking at him. Avoiding eye contact was the best option.

My eyes roamed the gathering and I could see that people were more interested in my conversation with Paul than they were with their own. Not Seth though. Leah was sending me death threats with her eyes which I quickly dodged by ducking my head even further down.

"Are you okay?"

My head whipped to look at him and my brows furrowed. "Yea, why wouldn't I be?"

"Just curious. You're crying, you know."

The tips of my fingers brushed my cheeks. Sure enough, the tears were there and they were falling silently. I rubbed my face on my pant leg and sat back up. People were clearing out. Hugs were being exchanged, and slight kisses, that left the imprinties staggered. I just sat there, watching everyone, but it didn't go unnoticed that _we_ were the topic of gossip. '_We_'? No, wait, _he_ and _I_. No, Paul as a topic and me, Evie, in the same topic of gossip. No, we or us, or he and I or anything like that.

Emily came to give me a hug before she left and I heard her whisper to Paul something about taking me home and then a hard look came about him. My legs were stiff and I had to walk around the small fire for a few minutes before the feeling came back. Seth had already left, so I said my goodbyes to Jacob, who was still giving me that same wary look from earlier.

The path to my house was lit up by the moon, which was surprisingly clear and cloud free.

"You shouldn't walk by yourself." Replied Paul, who was suddenly beside me, looking extremely thoughtful.

"Sorry, my sitter was out." I sassed.

"I'm serious."

"I am too."

We walked in silence, I could feel the tension, and I could see from the corner of my eye that he was having a bit of trouble keeping his mouth shut. It was a short walk, but awkward. I was being walked around like a kid. Just what I needed a babysitter, well, another one that is.

When my house came into view, I was feeling a little upset myself. "Well, thanks for walking me. Next time I'll make sure my sitter can escort me, since; I obviously can't walk a few hundred feet to my own home."

"I did you a favor!" He exclaimed throwing his hands up into the air, once again making me think of King Kong.

"Sure, a favor. So that's what it's called now-a-days."

"Why are you being so difficult?" He said rather angrily. Why was I being difficult? Oh yeah, because of the obvious adoration and commitment that was to come.

So, I thought of the only thing I could. "Because I can!" I shouted back.

From then on out, it was a glaring contest, with his frame quivering in the slightest, and mine doing the same thing. Wait, I was quivering? My fists were in tight balls on the side of my waist and I could feel my toes curling within themselves.

Embry and Jake appeared behind him not even a few seconds later. They didn't talk to him or even look at me, they waited. It was comforting that they would pull him off me if he suddenly burst into his wolf form and decided to maul me. He didn't though. He grudgingly took another long look at me a disappeared into the night, Embry, and Jake right on his trail.

That didn't stop me from stomping up into my house and slamming the door with all my might. As always, no one was home. That gave me a full right to slam every door in the house and I properly done so.

I shredded my clothes, noticing the purple bruise left by Quil, but shrugged that thought away and crawled into the shower while I processed everything that had happened today.

First off, Seth didn't like me anymore, Leah vehemently hated me, and quite possibly Quil did too, but I didn't really care about the last two. Second, I was in denial. How deep of a denial? Enough to tell me that the only reason that caused Paul to follow me was because of a crush.

I knew the real reason. Paul, the emotionally unstable werewolf, had imprinted on _me_, Evie, the temperamentally unstable teenager. Whoever thought this was a good idea was seriously screwed up.

For the rest of the night, I thought out my plans. Rule number two, for what not to do in Washington, was officially thrown out the window.

Everything was in motion; all I had to do was wait.


	11. Betting on the Human

**June 2nd**

Bright and early Monday morning Emily called me. How she got my number, I had no idea, but I didn't mind so much, but the fact that she was inviting me over meant something was up. She didn't specify what, but she said that we would be doing a lot of cooking. I resisted the urge to go look up June second on the web, there had to be an importance.

When I arrived, it was only Emily occupying her small home. She greeted me as she had every time we had seen each other and went about showing me her house, then we got to work. As expected, her table was huge, bigger than Sue's, that is for sure. Emily had more counter space, and a simple kitchen filled with tons of appliances.

We kept up the small chat here and there until I saw a pretty shiny thing.

"Emily?" I stopped mixing the batter to exam her hand.

"What is it?"

"What's this?" I asked while pointing to the shiny ring that adorned her finger.

She blushed. "It's my wedding ring."

"You're married?" I asked alarmed. I knew I shoudn't be, but it was shocking.

"Of course." She played it off as if it was nothing. "We wanted to wait, so we could have the whole family at the wedding, but we went ahead with it." A sad note hit her voice. I hadn't meant to make Emily sad.

"Do you have pictures?"

A smile built itself among her lips. "Many. Do you want to see? After we're done, we can go dig them out and look through them. It's been awhile since I've seen them."

"I'd like that."

Emily had insisted – more like forced – me into making the chocolate cake. Vanilla batter baked with chocolate fudge drenched over the top of it. Mine was completely plain, nothing special about it, but Emily kept saying mine was special. It could probably feed fifty people it was so big. Emily had taken on a task of extravagance. A strawberry cake, molded to perfection with small roses shaped perfectly on the edges, strawberries, of course, on top, and it was just as big as the cake I was making. I didn't understand why she kept saying my cake was special, unless the chocolate used had something put in it, then it couldn't be _that_ special.

"Evie?" Emily called and I slightly turned while pouring the fudge onto the cake. A bright flash totally caught me off guard. I'm pretty sure I looked like a deer caught in some headlights.

"Aw, tell me you didn't." I begged as I smoothed the fudge on the cake.

"I did, you look so cute."

A few more were taken when I wasn't paying attention, but all of them were of me making the cake.

"That's enough, please, you're camera is going to die from the Evie disease." I joked.

"Oh, hush." She scolded lightly. She set the camera off to the side and I noticed the lens was still zoomed. Weird. Emily turned on a small radio and the station was playing a party mix and I started to dance, it was more of a hop, but it was just Emily here. She laughed at me when I slipped a few times on the batter I had spilt.

I found myself in the same conversation I had had with Kim a few days back. Emily was grilling me on my life back in Alabama. I just told her I was completely clueless in the boy department, I knew she had to have overheard the conversation with Kim.

"I find that hard to believe." She gave me a skeptical look as she poked the last cake, which was meant to be Emily's and mine, into the oven. "Is it just that you never clicked with anyone or what?"

I stared down at the table, running my finger through the icing bowl trying to get the left over goody out of it. "Well, no there was someone once, but I was naive." I popped my finger into my mouth.

The look on her face told me to continue.

"See, you could probably call us high school sweethearts, ever since ninth grade we had a thing for each other. I knew he was in bad crowd, but when he finally asked me out my junior year, I couldn't say no. After a few days, I got tired of him constantly talking about his friends and them doing their drugs. He knew I wasn't into it. Then in last period he tells me he stole some Arbor Mist from his work, well that ended it." I shrugged. "No big deal, so I can't say I have experience at all. Anyways, I knew he wasn't the person for me and nothing happened so it doesn't count."

"Oh, that's terrible." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Does that mean you haven't had your first kiss?"

Blood rushed to my face. "No…" I mumbled. "Is that bad?"

"No, not at all." She was grinning at her new found discovery. "You know what I think? I think that since you've waited so long, you're first kiss will be everything you ever expected and maybe more." Her knowing smile was plastered on her face again.

"Like getting kissed in the rain good?" My voice was eager, which surprised me.

Her laugh was musical as the she finished the dishes in the sink. "I suppose so." She paused and turned to me. "There's always the Gone with the Wind kiss." A sigh escaped her lips.

"I couldn't get through the first five minutes of that movie." I made a face. "Now the newer Pride and Prejudice, that was a movie of absolute love."

"Movie night?" Emily suggested.

"Do we have to watch Gone with the Wind?"

"It's a classic. Besides, Sam won't watch it with me and Kim has seen it so many times, I don't want to put her through it again. We'll watch Mr. Darcy afterwards."

"All right." I caved. Maybe I could pretend to watch and sleep through it, good plan.

"I'll talk to Sam about it when he gets home later. That way we can pick a date." I nodded. "Still want to see the pictures?"

"Of course." I replied and I was shown into a back room. It looked as if someone lived there, maybe every once in awhile the wolves would stay over, it made sense. There was a bed in the middle of the room, a dresser – with clothes hanging messily out of it, and a closet. That's where Emily started to dig through and retrieved a thick white book.

She plopped onto the bed and opened the book. The first page was a greeting from Leah; she had made them a scrape book of wedding memories, I guess they're on good terms after all. The page flipped and it was a picture of the beach being set up, small white chairs lined in rows of six, an arch stood in the middle covered with some exotic looking flowers, to say the least it was beautiful. Most of the front was of the setting up of the wedding, and then we got into the actual getting ready for the wedding. I turned the page and it was Emily getting her hair done, she didn't look terrified at all, unlike myself who be freaking out and having second thoughts, but that's just me.

Emily sat the book in my lap as she stood up. "Keep looking. I need to get the cake out. I'll only be a moment."

I turned my attention back towards the book and started to randomly flip through it. One particular picture stood out to me. Werewolves in tuxedos. They were getting ready in what looks like this house. I smiled and flipped the page and stopped. Deep brown eyes stared back at me. Paul was looking helplessly at the person holding the camera while his hands rested on his tie. It seems so like him, not knowing how to fix his own tie. My mouth softened and the corners of it pulled down.

"Paul didn't know how to tie it for the life of him. Eventually I had to do it for him." Her sudden voice made me jump.

"Ah." I said rather weakly.

"He'll make a girl happy one day. I know he will."

"Mhm." I nodded numbly and I could tell Emily was waiting for me to say something else about him. As _if_ I'd say anything nice about him aloud.

We looked at the rest of the pictures, but every time Emily would explain something, I would get distracted by a certain werewolf in the picture. I did however see that Emily looked gorgeous. She wore a simple v-neck dress that had a slight train and a beaded-bodice. She was the picture of perfection. I wish I had been there.

Later, she asked a strange request. She asked that I record a birthday greeting for the birthday boy. She said that they had all done it, and that I shouldn't get excluded. I agreed and I was now standing in front of her camera.

"Okay, now!" Directed Emily. She was having a little too much fun with this.

I pulled a smile together and kept my voice cheerful. "Hey happy birthday, birthday boy! I hope you have had a great day and that you get your wish when you blow out your candles. And you better eat all of your cake, you wouldn't want Emily and my efforts to go to waste would you? If you don't I'll throw the nearest object at you and beat-"

"Evie…" Emily hissed.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Oh, sorry. Heh, well have a good one." I waved and kept my smile, but Emily didn't stop it. "Why aren't you stopping it?" She was hiding behind the small camera and I could see a contrast of white against her skin. "Aw, Emily, I ain't got nothing more to say!" I danced behind the couch and held a pillow in front of my face.

"Fine, it's off." She grumped. Well the recording part was off, but another flash blinded me and I groaned. What was her obsession with taking pictures today? "Oh! It's almost time for the boys to be home."

Perspiration made itself known on my palms. "Maybe I should go then…" I trailed off.

"Nonsense! You're staying." She led me back into the kitchen and set me into a specific chair. And that's where I waited.

Emily busied herself with candle duty, while I wrung my hands nervously.

The front door burst open and a shiver made it's way down my spine causing my hair to stand on end.

"Oh, what's this I smell? Emily's fine cooking!" I recognized Embry's voice as he continued to cheer something about birthdays were the best.

"Mhm and strawberries!" Was that Quil?

"I smell fudge!" Shouted Paul.

Emily went to greet them, I guess warning them of my presence.

"What's that? The offering is here too?" Chirped Embry. He bound into the kitchen and a huge lope-sided grin was on his face. "The offering!" He leaned from the back and gave me a tight hug. "Who knew that you'd be here?"

"I expect you to be here for my birthday as well." Jacob said as he sat to the left of me.

"Duh, Jake, she's gonna be here for everyone's birthday. Come on, it means more presents for us." Embry said patting my shoulder.

"What makes you think I would get you anything?" I casually replied back.

"It's tradition!" He cried, burying his face on my shoulder.

"Well, you won't get any from me." I playfully stuck my nose in the air.

"She's a snob!"

"Lies!"

"Is not! You know-" Embry was interrupted halfway by Sam.

"Glad you could join us Evelyn." He cradled Emily hand and he smiled genuinely at me. I returned it with a polite thank you.

"Hey, which one of you is the birthday boy?" I whispered to Jake.

He nodded his head toward the door, where a wide-eyed, shirtless Paul stood. I quickly turned away and pouted. I was set up again and by Emily at that! When was I going to learn?

"Not again…" Groaned Embry.

The only open seat was to the right of me, which Paul promptly took his place. Now I knew why I was to be seated here.

"Evelyn." He said stiffly. I nodded in his general direction and focused on Emily who was watching us with stern disapproval.

"Paul." Called Emily.

The chair squeaked as he went to talk to her again. If I wasn't mistaken I was sure the camera that she was using earlier was in her hand and had a small bow on it. I slumped onto the table, burying my hands into my long hair, and using hand gestures to ease my frustration.

"Sign language!" Brady laughed.

"Oh, that couldn't have meant anything good. She got you Brady." Jared said, I could hear a slapping sound and I peeked up to see them throwing punches.

"Hey, Jared?" My voice was weak.

"Hm?" He had Brady's hands tied behind his back.

"Where's Kim?"

"She was forced to spend quality time with her mom. For some reason they think she spends too much time with me." He scratched his head with one of his free hands and went back to beating up Brady.

I eased myself back up, my pout still on at full force at glanced around at the werewolves. Sam was guarding the cakes, which were being eyed by Collin who looked ready to pounce at any moment. Seth was seated diagonally from me on the left. A small smile formed on his lips as he looked at me, was he done ignoring me?

"Hey." He mouthed. That small smile still on his face.

"Hey." I whispered back. "Missed you." I mouthed.

His shoulders fell when he sighed. The torn expression from last night was on his face, but still nodded. I would accept that. His gaze abruptly shifted from me to behind me. Paul once again took the empty seat beside me, he seemed a bit more pleased than last time, and I narrowed my eyes at him. The camera was _for him_, I recorded a greeting _for him_, and I baked a cake _for him_, all of which was filmed or pictures were taken _for him_. I exhaled and turned from him when he met my evil glare.

"Well, now, it's customary to sing the birthday song. Evie, would you please start us off?" Emily cheered while Sam carried the chocolate cake to Paul. Sure, I had mentioned to Emily that I had sung in a few school musicals and plays, and that maybe I would go to college to study music or opera, but I failed to mention the whole singing in front of a few people with intense hearing was beyond freaky and downright frightening.

"Emily. You have it wrong. I don't sing – in public." I stated firmly, but an edge of panic had seeped into my voice. Paul was staring intently at me, waiting, and yet that frustration was lying underneath.

"But you said…"

Collin interrupted Emily. "Oh, are you a chicken?" He made chicken noises and flailed his arms in all directions. The werewolves thought it was funny, but I could see Paul was tense.

"You seem to have that covered." I spat.

"Told you she was a snob." Whispered Embry who was laughing with Collin.

Instantly I picked up my fork, planning to hurdle it as his head and puncture his brain, when a warm hand grasped mine in mid-air. My whole body stiffened and I shakily turned my head toward my hands hostage taker. Of course, it was Paul. Of course.

Our hands were still raised. It felt like declaration of love, but it was quite the opposite and pulled my hand out of his grasp and settled down.

I sucked in a breath and sat up straight. "If it would make everyone happy," I said through gritted teeth, "then I will happily do it."

Collin clasped his hands together and cheered with Embry by his side.

This had to be the oddest thing I have ever done. Not that sitting in a room full of mythical creatures isn't odd, but singing for a werewolf beat it by far. This certainly wasn't on my list for things to do.

I took comfort in the fact that I only had to sing a few words and then the others would join me. So, I angled my body toward Paul's, not quite meeting his eyes and sung.

_"Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday to you." _I glanced at Emily who stood beside Paul, but she wasn't singing no one was, so I continued grudgingly. _"Happy birthday dear Paul. Happy birthday to you."_

I waited for them to cheer and tell him to blow his candles, but it didn't come. Was I that bad? I hesitantly turned to look at everyone. They each shared the same look, a mix between happiness and awe. It was just a song for goodness sake, the same words over and over again. I didn't have the guts to look at Paul so I shrunk in my seat, hoping that maybe it would suddenly grow teeth and eat me, in a non-painful way.

A burning hand landed on my shoulder. "Thank you Evelyn." Sam said, breaking the silence in the room. "Now, why aren't you making a wish?" He boomed.

"Ri-right." Paul stammered.

When Paul's gaze left me, I watched him as he took a deep breath, held it, with a look of concentration on his face, and then blew. It surprised me that the candles didn't fly across the room, stupid werewolves and their super abilities.

"What'd you wish for?" Called Collin.

"Dumbass, you can't ask him. It won't come true." Jake said while reaching across to slap him across the head.

"To the contrary, we all know what he's wishing for." Replied Jared with a wink in my direction.

"Jared!" Paul was absolutely livid.

I wasn't to keen on being 'involved' with their little secret as of now, so I intervened. "Even if you knew what he wished for, who's to say it won't come true?" I argued. Jared stared at me with thoughtful eyes. "It is possible to wish for something that someone already knows about. Therefore the rule only applies if the person speaks it aloud."

"Well what if that person had talked about it before?" Jared had his face propped up in his hands as he leaned forward, victory clearly set in his mind.

"That doesn't matter." Now, I wasn't happy with defending Paul's wish making, but Jared was making me intrigued with Paul's wish.

"Even if the person has talked about it on the day of their birthday?"

I scowled. "Hm…good point." I pretended to debate on it for a moment and I stole a side-glance at Paul who was staring at me as if I had given up. Who did he think I was? I don't give up that easily. "That's irrelevant though. Who is to say the person was going to wish that as their birthday wish? No one. If the person hasn't spoken it aloud since they have blown out their candles then it still qualifies as a wish. Your point has failed."

"Your point had failed." He mocked. "Just wait. I'll get you back."

"Sure you will and I'll be there to pummel you."

The werewolves started to laugh at me. They didn't think I could take him? Give me an eighteen-wheeler and then tell me if I can't.

"I'd pay to see that." Jake threw his arm causally over my shoulder. "Ten on Evie."

Everyone stared at him incredulously as if he knew some sort of secret I was keeping from them. There was only one secret and that involved Twilight, I wasn't a freak. Seriously, though, he was betting on me?

"Ten on Jared." Replied Leah hastily.

"Jared." Called Collin, Brady, and Quil at the same time.

Embry looked torn. I couldn't blame him, I would choose Jared over myself too. But Jake seemed so confident over his wager. "Ten on Evie." He replied slowly and rather shyly.

My jaw slackened and my eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He agreed with Jakes decision. Wow.

"Evie." Seth nodded his head in my direction and I felt myself beam at him. My first friend was on my side that was the best.

That left Sam and Paul, I didn't even know if Sam played in games like this. I figured Emily wouldn't play in it, because well for the obvious.

"I'm betting on Evelyn." Paul replied, his hand landing softly on my forearm. I shot his a thankful smile, but I knew he would choose me. Now, I waited for the pack leader to make his choice.

"Sam, are you in?" Asked Jacob.

I shifted so I could see Sam and he was looking between Jared and me. His face scrunched up in concentration. "Well, it seems I should go with the most obvious choice, but I'm all for the underdog. Ten on Evelyn." His white teeth gleamed and he held Emily close.

"No, you're kidding, right Sam?" Howled Jared.

"Not at all. I think she could take you." He amended seriously.

That caused me to erupt in a laughing fit. My hand beat my leg in glee; I just couldn't stop laughing even when I started to get a pain in my stomach. The pack leader betting on _me_? What unseen force was making the werewolves loopy?

"I think maybe we should help her." Brady said over my loud laughter.

I doubled over, laughing even harder, leaning into Jake, I couldn't figure out why it was so funny, but it didn't stop me none the less.

"Maybe. I mean, is this normal? You think she's having some kind of seizure?" Asked Collin. They were taking it so seriously. If I didn't stop they would send me off to the hospital.

"I'm fine. Promise." I said while wiping away my tears and holding my pained stomach, small giggles still coming from me.

"Now then. Shouldn't we cut the cakes?" Emily said as she ushered over to the other strawberry cake and started to cut gigantic slices for the boys and myself.

About two hours later I found myself sitting in the Uley's backyard reflecting my day. I thought it was horrible that Emily had made me do all that for Paul, but this was her playing matchmaker. I would let her have her fun, even if it made me miserable and didn't work in the slightest. I did however have fun. Emily and I had to scarf down our cake before the guys could get into it. The wolves also got mad when I was the only one who received a piece of Paul's _'special'_ chocolate cake. Oh, Paul, he ate every bite of his cake. I'm pretty sure he saw the video and to make me happy, he ate all of it, not that it tasted bad or anything, but just to make _me_ happy. An odd feeling came about me. He did it _for me_. I was failing miserably at my plan.

The sliding back door squeaked opened and Paul sat beside me on the steps over looking the backyard.

"You're always by yourself." He pointed out. What a genius.

"I like it that way." I replied sternly.

"Sorry about yesterday." He murmured.

"Don't be."

"But-" I shot him a glare. "Really, I'm sorry, I don't want to fight with you."

I didn't say anything, I just stared out amongst the trees, a small drizzle was coming down, but a little rain never hurt anyone. Everything was so peaceful. This is why I loved La Push, when it wasn't being stalked by vampires, or having werewolves howl in all directions, it was the perfect place of beauty and sereneness.

"What are you thinking about?"

"About how peaceful it is here." I said truthfully.

"Mhm, it is. I think it's one of the best places in the world."

"I wouldn't go that far." I laughed lightly.

"How was it where you lived?" I had a feeling I'd be getting a lot of questions like this.

"It was all right. It didn't rain as much."

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes. When I have nothing to do, I find myself looking at things that remind me of my friends and such. It hurts, but it's getting better." Everything came out of my mouth so easily.

"Must be tough. Are you going to move back?" He said this very calmly, too calmly.

"Probably." Paul inhaled sharply, just as he had the first day I saw him. He was also shaking ever so slightly. "But mom needs me. Even though she's never home, it would break her heart for me to move back in with dad when I turn eighteen. I'll have to come to an agreement with her."

He seemed to accept this and changed the subject. "When's your birthday?"

The familiar 'u' shape pulled itself upon my lips. "August."

"When in August?"

I shrugged my shoulders. He would never find out. I wouldn't let him, or anyone for that matter.

"That's not fair."

"I never said it was." I argued back.

He was silent for a minute. I peeked over and he was forming something I wasn't going to like. A big smug smile placed itself on his face. "Then we'll just have to have a party everyday in August."

"You wouldn't." I hissed.

"I would and I will." His arms crossed and I stared at him challengingly.

"You will not."

"Everyone will agree to it. We all like cake, Emily likes to cook. It's already a done deal. You could avoid it all and just have one party if you would tell me the day."

I could avoid it all, huh? "It's on a Tuesday." I imitated him and crossed my arms. "That's the best I can do."

"We'll figure it out." A playful tune carried in his voice. Maybe he wasn't so unstable after all.

"Sure you will." I said sarcastically, but there was something different. Something was off. Was I flirting?

He leaned toward me and I backed up slightly, but I was suddenly saved.

"Paul. Come on. We've got a job to do." Called Jake from the inside, the second in command, my new hero.

He groaned and his long legs stretched out. "I'll see you later Evelyn. Be careful on your way home."

"Yeah, yeah." I waved him off and the door slide closed once again.

I waited around a little longer until I was sure they were gone and marched back into the house.

Emily I exchanged goodbyes and she said the date was set for this Friday, the sixth. It wasn't as if I had anything to do, in fact I never did anything besides run around La Push talking to werewolves. I needed to find a job soon. So, I agreed and planned on bringing my copy of Pride and Prejudice.

And then I was off to my always empty home with nothing to do but plan and clean.


	12. Say it Again

The next few days dragged. Brady did not come by anymore, I had a feeling that was Paul's doings. That left me with doing absolutely nothing. The TV held reality shows that had no plot or basic function and yet they were in their fifth season. Crazy. However, I'm biased when it comes to American television, except for Law & Order: SVU, best show ever invented.

Sassy was always piled up in my bed. She still didn't feel well, and I had my guess as to things were going to end for her soon. I spent all the time I could with her, snuggling with her, petting her, just making sure she was comfortable.

Dad had given me hell for putting almost nine hundred dollars on his credit card. Not that I blame him. He didn't say I couldn't use it any more, he just ask for a reasonable amount next time. In his words, "There's no reason that a young lady, such as yourself, should be spending that much money in one day. I expect you to be a bit more responsible next time." Then he changed it over to how I was doing. Even though it made me feel guilty – his exact intention - he knew when to stop. That's why it's so much easier to live with dad. We're the same on almost every level and I think that's another reason why my mom didn't want me to stay. I was too much like dad. I think my mom wanted me to become like her, a girly-girl, one that wears the latest, and knows everything about everyone. She got her wish; I knew almost everything about everyone in La Push, thanks to Twilight and my own involvement.

I wanted to do something, anything. I rambled around in the back of my closet looking for my copy of Twilight, I had hid it; I didn't need a sneaky werewolf looking at anything they weren't supposed to.

"Hurrah!" I yelled as I flopped back on my butt and flipped through it. With my right hand, I made a list on possibly places to visit.

_Bella Swan's home  
Forks high school  
Forks hospital  
La Bella Italia  
__Edward and Bella's meadow  
The Cullen house_

"Nope, no possible way for me to find the baseball field." I muttered and flipped through the rest of the book.

"So…" I spoke aloud to Sassy who was staring at me from the bed. "Should I go to Bella's home?" I drummed my fingers along the floor. "No, it would only entertain me from the outside. I don't think Chief Swan would appreciate me running around in their home, feeling on everything."

I picked up the paper and started to pace. "The high school and hospital wouldn't do me any good either." My fingers curled around my hair. "I'm not attending a restaurant by myself. I can't find the meadow and the Cullen's drive is supposedly impossible to find!" I stomped furiously back and forth. "This is so not fair." I whimpered.

"Come on Evie, think. What is there to do?"

Before I knew it, I was in my new bathing suit. I slide a pair of my new jeans on and threw on a yellow halter that revealed my whole back. With my fuzzy jacket in hand and my messenger bag crossed over my shoulder, I was out the door and in my Jeep on my way to the beach. It was good weather and the waves weren't to bad.

Disappoint rolled over me as I pulled to a stop. Embry and Jake were swimming around in the ocean, horsing around. I didn't think they had noticed me until I stepped out of the Jeep.

"Evie!" Shouted Jake, who was then pushed under the water by Embry.

"Little offering, are you coming to join us?" Embry yelled as he started to run away from Jake toward me.

_No, no, no. Don't come this way!_ My inner voice was shouting at them. "No, I'm just going to a walk." I lazily replied. "Maybe I'll swim, who knows."

I started to remove my jeans and Embry raised his eyebrows suggestively at me. "Why are you taking your clothes off in front of me?"

"Why are you looking?" I countered.

He turned away. "I'm not."

"Aw, is Embry blushing?" I teased.

"We have a score to settle!" Stormed Jacob, running at full force.

"You're in for it now." I folded my jeans up and sat them on my seat. "First you try to drown Jacob and then you become a peeping Tom. I'd say you deserved to be beat up."

"What? I was not peeping." He enunciated each word and stared at Jacob who just made it to us.

"Okay, so maybe you weren't peeping." I removed my shirt. "You were definitely ogling."

"You- You're naked!" Cried Embry.

"A bathing suit qualifies as being naked?" I asked as I folded my shirt and laid it on top of my jeans. I have to admit, being in front of guys, with everything on their body being perfect, in my bathing suit _is_ embarrassing.

"That" Jacob spoke up, pointing his finger at me, "does not count."

"You are delusional."

"I'm right."

"So, it's perfectly okay for you to run around shirtless?" Not that I minded any of them without a shirt on, I think I could encourage this behavior.

"Yup." Embry pulled me into a hug, his burning skin making me jump. "But you, what if someone tried to steal you away? What would I do? They could snatch you up and you're such a little thing, you wouldn't have a chance." He pulled me away by my shoulders and looked me in the eye. "It wouldn't be the same."

Laughter was bubbling under the surface. I had to fight to keep a straight face. "Someone could steal you too."

He barked a laugh. "That would be hard. Self-defense, you know." He said proudly.

"Then teach me sometime."

His face paled. "Right…"

I nodded in triumph, pulled myself out from his hug, and kicked the door of my Jeep closed. "I thought you had a score to settle Jacob?"

A glint of revenge came into his eyes. "That's right." He was already moving toward Embry.

"Why did you have to remind him?" Embry yelled as Jacob chased him back toward the ocean.

The wind started to pick up, I only had so much time until the water would be a death trap. My bare feet pounded against the dirt and rocks, it didn't feel good, but I sucked it up and ran as fast as I could. There was small path leading to the lowest cliff and I followed it. Branches whipped and popped me in my cheek a few times it stung and a liquid grazed down my cheek. Of course, I just had to bleed in Washington. But what vampire in their right mind, would attack me with two werewolves below? One with a death wish, that's what kind.

The small cliff had a good amount of space, enough to get a running start. I walked to the edge and peered down. Jacob and Embry were gone. My idea suddenly seemed horrible. Small gasps of air escaped my lips. I cannot be afraid. This is going to be fun, like flying, only the water will catch me and then all I have to is swim. Easy. That nagging sensation came back. Bella almost died. She had had Jacob to rescue her, what if something happens?

I backed away and ran into a warm chest. I screamed and whirled around. Paul was peering down at me with anger in his black eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I looked around as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Cliff diving."

"Oh no you're not." He grabbed my arm and started to pull me back down the path.

"Oh yes I am!" My free arm wrapped around a small tree and then I swung my legs on to it.

"Evelyn. You are not. You've never dived before! Something could happen to you!" He yelled, convulsions racking through his body.

_Lie._ "I've cliff dived before." I yelled right back, hugging onto the tree for dear life.

"What?" This didn't seem to help him any.

"At Lake Martin. There's a huge cliff, called Acapulco Rock, it's at least seventy feet tall, you have to climb to the top. It's worse than this, Paul." A chill rain down my spine, it was the first time I had said his name, well if you count singing it isn't, but I don't.

"You've jumped off this Aca-whats-its-name rock?" He said disbelieving.

I gulped. "Yea. A bunch of times." I sucked in a breath. "There are worse things in that lake than there is here."

"Really?"

"Yea, catfish the size of cars are said to live in the bottom amongst the town that's below."

"There's a town below the lake? With fish that could eat you?" He did not believe me.

"Yes."

"So, you've dived and seen these _fish_?" A smile was pulling on the edge of his full lips. Now he was just playing with me.

"No. I've never seen the fish."

"You still expect me to let you dive?"

"You have no control over me." I snatched my arm away from him, still clinging to the small tree. I give a whole new definition for the term 'tree hugger'.

"Let her dive." Sam appeared behind Paul who ran a frustrated hand over his shaggy hair.

"But Sam what if -" Paul started.

"If she's dived before, then she'll be fine. It's not like you can't jump in right after her."

Sam did not believe that I've dived before._  
Good_.  
Because I haven't.

"Right." Paul agreed quickly.

I looked around them; the whole pack was there, excluding Leah, of course. They all shared equal faces of amusement. Jake gave me an apologetic smile. The traitor. He ran off to tell on me.

I stiffly untangled myself from the tree and backed away from Paul's roaming eyes, feeling even more self-conscious. My chin started to quiver and I quickly turned away, where I was facing the body of water.

"You don't have to jump by yourself." Seth appeared by my side that same small smile on his face.

I craned my neck to look at him. "You'd jump with me?" I whispered.

"Yea." He whispered right back.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and he hesitantly put an arm around me. Someone huffed behind me, probably Paul. This was driving him insane I bet. I smiled at the thought.

"Ready?" Seth pulled me back and grabbed my hand. "We'll run toward the edge and jump, okay?"

"All right." I looked over my shoulder and Paul looked upset, maybe even heartbroken. I forced myself to stop looking at him and to focus on the task at hand.

Then we were running and flying through the air. Everything in me screamed, my senses were heightened from the adrenaline, my head pounded from the force, and everything felt amazing. We were dropping so fast that when the water hit me, it was like being slapped all over my body. Needles of icy water hit my exposed skin and if I didn't know better I would have screamed out in pain. I was being a wimp.

My hand slipped out of Seth's and I opened my blind eyes to the water below. Black nothingness stretched on for what seemed forever. I began to fight the water, a losing battle until my body went into overdrive an unnatural reaction for me. My legs beat furiously against the treacherous water, my lungs burned for more air, and as if called, I broke through the surface, gasping for air, but swallowing the overlapping waves instead. I was faintly aware of a yelling voice, Paul's voice. I didn't give up, I was already above the surface. I was pulled under again, but a large arm snaked itself around my waist and began to pull us toward the safety of the beach.

"You're all right, Evie." Seth said in a sad voice.

The waves crashed into my feet as Seth dragged me by his side.

"Are you crazy? You let go of her! She could have- Something could have happened to her!" Paul was shouting, coming toward us with a murderous glare.

"She's fine. She broke through the surface all on her own. How many girls can do that?" Seth shouted, defending himself and me.

Another persons arm grabbed me and set me down on the wet sand and rocks against their body. I looked up and saw it was Jacob. Seth and Paul were in a heated battle of 'I told you so'.

"Breath." Commanded Jake.

I inhaled and started to cough up water. Bella was right, coughing up water hurt. He patted my back softly until my lungs were clear, and I was dragging in ragged breaths.

"You've never dived before have you?" Whispered Jake.

"No." I said my voice raspy and raw.

"I know why you did it." He gave me another pat. "There's always next time."

"Next time?" I laughed hoarsely.

"There will be no next time!" Oh Paul, he really didn't know me.

"I beg your pardon?" I snapped.

"Did you not see that you almost drowned?" He was kneeling down in front of me, his hand cupping my bruised cheek. "You even got yourself hurt."

"It's a little scratch from a tree branch, Paul." How I love to say his name. "Besides, I'm really a cat, and this is not my last life at all."

"A cat?" His face was priceless. It was like he believed that for fraction of a second. I don't shape-shift, but reminder to self, do this more often.

"Oh yeah." I slapped his hand away. "With the tail and all."

"You'll have to show me sometime." The big lurch had a smile on his face. He was okay with the fact that I could possibly be a cat? Dogs and cats are mortal enemies, just like vampires and werewolves. Maybe I should've said that I was a bloodsucker? Oh the expression I would have received.

"You're on."

My hands moved to Jacob shoulders and I pushed myself up. The comfort of his heat left and I was left shivering. As Jacob started to get up, I sat back on his knee and curled up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jacob asked as he tried to push me off.

"It's cold. Be nice and stay put." I barked.

"Sure, sure." He replied in a sarcastic, mocking voice. Gently he pushed me off him and I stumbled forward.

"If I shrivel and die, I'll blame you." I threatened. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to create some sort of friction. Sensing I was cold, Paul's thick arms created a blanket of warmth around me. I tried to resist, but warmth and temptation were too much. Damn you imprinting.

"You need clothes." He stated, walking me back to the Jeep.

"I wanna swim." I argued.

"Another day."

"But everyone else is swimming."

"They won't get sick, you will." He opened my door and shoved my clothes at me. "Put them on."

Was Paul blushing? I grinned like an idiot. "Nope. I'm going swimming."

"Do you want me to dress you?"

"Not particularly." I crossed my arms. "Stop ordering me around."

Some unknown emotion flashed in his eyes. "I'm not ordering you."

"Sure seems like it to me. If you weren't, I would be down there swimming. Instead I'm being blocked off from doing anything." I raised my hands exasperatedly.

"Go get sick then!" He roared and stalked off toward the woods.

Amusing.

I expected him to snap and in a way, he did. I had been standing there for a few minutes, so perplexed by his outburst that I didn't see who snuck up on me.

I was hauled up over the persons shoulder and he was running toward the water. They were booming with laughter and I had to cover my ears.

I distinctly heard someone say, "Paul's gonna kill you!" then water surrounded me. The shock was still there and it took a few seconds to realize that I needed to swim, which after a moment I started to move.

The surface came quickly and I hurdled a rock at the nearest werewolf.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me? I wasn't the one who threw you in!" Jared hollered.

"Then who was it?" I asked frazzled.

Brady was snickering like an idiot. Bingo. I started to pull myself from the ocean and walked near him, as if I was going to leave. When I got close enough to him, I jumped him.

"Why did you throw me in? Huh, Brady?" My arm was wrapped around his neck and I used my other hand to pull his ear.

"Ouch. Mercy! Mercy!" He yelped and ran toward the water.

"Don't even think about it." I used my legs to try and trip him, but instead I became a human catapult. He flung me a few feet into the water.

All of a sudden, that was the werewolf's favorite game.

Evie the human catapult.

I was treated more like a football. They tucked me into their arms, called out some sort of football saying and would run and then launch me at a werewolf, who would either catch me –which happened most of the time- or either I would fall into the water usually face first.

Embry was running and he launched me over to Quil, who effortlessly caught me, then charged through the others to the 'end zone'. Sam tackled him and I went flying into Collin. They tried their best to avoid getting me knocked around to much, but it happened anyway and I was having too much fun to argue with them. Paul wasn't back, this was exactly the sort of thing he didn't want to happen. I reveled in that fact.

"You okay?" Collin asked as he started to line up again.

"Yup, I'm fine."

The game started over again. Them running, me being catapulted back and forth, and then it started all over again. The wolves would have probably kept going if it hadn't been for Sam, who said enough was enough.

So it was me, Brady and Embry, the only ones that didn't leave. I was being tossed in between them, it wasn't as bad as before, but they let me hit the water this time just for the fun of it.

"Embry!" I scolded; I had been dropped for the tenth time. "If you do that one more time, I swear if you drop me again I will…I will…"

"You will what?" A smirk pronouncing itself across his face.

I couldn't think of anything. "You will be in a very bad situation." It was so puny, that he just laughed and tossed me to Brady.

"Stand on my shoulders." Brady eagerly said.

"You'll drop me." I complained.

"I won't. Please?" Even I could not resist the puppy dog face, he was begging.

I complied and gripped his hands, where if any normal human had been in his position they would have surely released me immediately. "Brady. Don't drop me. I'm not ready to die." I laughed, half serious.

"You ready, Call?"

_Oh God. _

"Oh yeah. Do it!" He cheered.

_I'm going to die._

I was being pushed forward, getting ready to be slung, when a not-to-pleased voice called out to us. "Brady. Drop her."

"No." I squeaked out.

"You heard the man." Jeered Embry.

"As you command." Brady's hands left mine and it became an balancing act. It was like being a circus performer; one wrong move would cause you to fall. "Why aren't you falling?!" He whispered fiercely.

"Cause I don't wanna fall!" I screamed back. He jolted his shoulders up and down, his intentions clear. My hands fluttered to grab his hair, but I fell backwards completely missing his shoulders or just any part of him.

I took in water and I recognized Paul's strong arms pulling me out. "You're going to get it later." He muttered to the others, both of who were nudging each other as if they had done something right. "How are you feeling?" He asked several paces later, after I stopped coughing up water.

"Like someone dumped me into the ocean." I said darkly, shooting glares at the wolves.

"Other than that?" He chuckled.

"Good."

He was carrying me bridal style to my Jeep and he did the same thing he done earlier. "_Please_, put on your clothes before you catch a cold."

"Since you said please." I said after he set me on my feet. I slipped on my jeans and then my halter.

His chocolate eyes roamed my body, and he reached for my waist. "This is all you're wearing?"

"No, I have a fuzzy jacket." I climbed over the seat and pulled out my new coat.

"Fuzzy?"

"At least it's warm." It fit perfectly, but I wasn't as warm as I _could_ be. I slapped my forehead.

"What was that for?"

"Huh? Oh. Nothing." I smiled innocently.

Then I was served a big punch bowl full of awkward. Try as I may, I couldn't not look at him, his long arms, his chest, and, God, everything. He was doing the same thing, just a more pronounced way. He openly stared, but I hide behind my hair and peered ever so slightly at him.

He broke the binding silence. "As much as I love your long hair, I'd much rather see your face." His hands gently swept my hair out of the way, trailing his finger tips down my jaw. The atmosphere changed and his eyes glazed over. In the moment, he leaned in, he knew what he wanted, but did I want it?

An inch away. I turned my face and he kissed my cheek instead. "Evelyn?" His lips moved against my skin.

"Yes?" Small gasps of breath escaped when I spoke. Breathe, breathe, Evie. In out, in out.

"Would you go on a date with me?"

I pulled away. "Uh -" I sputtered out. "I- uh. I don't know. I mean…" My eyes darted all over the place, never resting on one thing for more than a second. "No." I mumbled.

"Why?" He asked, hurt.

"I can't explain it."

"Try." He urged.

I huffed. "A hundred thousand words could not explain it right."

"Just when I thought you stopped being so difficult!"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I _am_ difficult?" My finger went into his chest. I have a poking problem. "That maybe everything with me can't be wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am?"

"No, I expected you to be open-minded!"

"What's with ya'll and being 'open-minded'?" I made a face at the word.

"You should talk with Sam and then Emily." He replied quietly.

The experts? "No thanks."

"It's for the best. You'll understand." He was so somber.

"I understand perfectly." I pulled away and yanked open my Jeep door. "I just want to pretend I don't." I muttered as I shut the door.

The rearview mirror held no interest for me as I u-turned and made my way to back to the house.

* * *

Surprisingly my mom was at home when I arrived. She had horrible timing.

"Evie?" She called from the kitchen.

"Yeah mom?"

"Come here for a few minutes."

I trudged my way toward her and plopped down into a chair. "What's up?"

"I haven't seen you in awhile. Where did you go?"

I rolled my eyes. "I was with some…people I met."

"Oh? Names, Evelyn."

"Sam and his group." That sums it up.

"Sam Uley?" A reaction I wasn't expecting from her, her eyes were wide, and a sad smile was on her face.

"Um…yeah." This was different. "Why mom? What's wrong?"

"Any reason you were with them?"

"Well, no it was unexpected. They just sort of appeared."

"Did you have fun?" She was avoiding my question.

"Yea." I replied my voice full of venom. "The greatest time ever."

I heard her sigh and resumed making her meal.

"Mom, Emily invited me over Friday night. I'm spending the night." I called to her as I walked back to my room.

"That's fine, honey."

Once my door was shut and sealed, I dwindled to the floor. My plan was failing. I couldn't ignore Paul. I just couldn't. Every bone in my body ached when he was near me. He was absolutely perfect for me, in every way, he was meant for me. Need I forget another who entered my heart? No, I couldn't. Did I dare suffer the same fate as Bella? Forced to choose between two decisions, each right in their very own way. Maybe. The equation could simplify itself. Yes, simplify. Whoever said the answer had to work itself out? Certain elements could always be removed.

But extracting the element from the pit would prove to be harder than it appeared…


	13. Hungry

**June 5**

"Argh…" I groaned and reached for my door handle. I was still in my night clothes, girls' boy shorts, and a sports bra, the epitome of comfort. Mom was being rather loud in the kitchen; I wouldn't think she would be home still. "It's too early." I said yawning a lifting my hands to run my fingers through my hair.

My body jerked to a stop. Why did this always happen to me? Why?

Four werewolves stood rambling through the fridge. That was _not_ my mom. Only one had taken notice. Paul.

"Evelyn." He breathed, taking a step closer to me. I didn't like the way he looked at me.

I was practically naked. Hell, I was naked, but more covered up than yesterday. _Stop freaking, Evie. Calm, just handle it. _"Why are y'all in my house?" My voice carried over and they all perked their heads at me.

Brady burst into a fit of laughter. "Food." Was what I made out during his fit.

"So, y'all break into my house- "

"No your door was unlocked." Jake replied, stealing my newly bought grapes. "There's a difference."

"But- but. Still!" I crossed my arms over my chest, where Paul's eyes were firmly planted. "That doesn't explain why you _four_ are here."

"Sam kicked us out." Chirped Embry.

"And we came here. Paul suggested it." Brady held up his hands in defense.

"That makes perfect sense." Sarcasm leaked into my voice. I perched on the edge of the counter. "I'm not fixing anything for _any_ of you."

"Raid Kim's house?" Suggested Brady.

"No, Jared would be royally pissed." Jake answered.

"Why did you think it would be _okay_ to come _here_?" They were all thumbs towards Paul. "I'm waiting."

"See…" He started, but a loud rumble cut him off. "Oops."

I bit my lip as everyone else laughed. "You're hungry." I stated. "_All_ of you."

Embry came over and observed me. "You're always naked around me." A growl came from behind him. "Sorry." He muttered. "We'll love you forever and ever if you would fix us some breakfast. Maybe even lunch and dinner?"

"Embry!" Paul pushed him out of the way. "Listen you don't have to do anything. We'll leave. We can find food elsewhere." The dumb werewolf was using reverse psychology on me.

"Fine…let's go guys." Jakes voice was a low hum and it seemed so pained.

"Argh!" I jumped in place a few times. "Y'all are so annoying. Sit down and shut up."

They all voiced their appreciation and took seats in the living room. I walked to the adjacent laundry and slipped on a t-shirt that hit me right at the hips.

Thankfully, I had stocked up on food just in case I was bombarded one day. I sat my computer on the microwave and started up 'shake it' by Metro Station, a good song to dance to and get me moving.

The pan for the bacon was in place, and I planned to cook a lot, three packages of one pound bacon to be exact. Another pan was for scrambled eggs, which I cracked to at the beat of the music. The last was a large boiler filled with Quaker grits, a Southern tradition. I don't even know if they eat grits, oh well, I _am_ the cook after all.

I laid out the cheese and set the table for four.

My Yahoo alarm went off. Leann was wanting on webcam.

"Oh my God, you're listening to Metro Station. Why aren't you dancing? You remember it's like a law, you have to dance." She sang.

"Sorry, sorry." I angled the camera toward the stove and started to dance and stir.

"So what are you doing?"

I froze. "Ah, hold on, right quick." I ran and grabbed the headphones designed for such moments as these, where anything Leann could possibly say to doom me wouldn't be overheard.

"Something's up." She replied eagerly.

"Oh yeah."

"Why aren't you telling me?"

"I can't tell you…"

"Company I see."

"Right, I would otherwise, you know this."

"Are you in underwear? Ohmygodwhatdidyoudo?" Her words ran together.

"Why do you assume that since I'm in underwear that I had to be doing something?" I piled bacon onto a plate and started some more.

"Because…Underwear equals sex. Duh."

I started coughing and turned toward the camera, holding up my fork. "Underwear does not mean…it."

"Do I want to know what you're talking about, little offering?" Embry was leaning in the small open window that connected to the kitchen from the living room, shirtless as always.

"Who is that? I knew it! You're having sex with him!" Leann sputtered out.

"I am not having sex with him!" I yelled. Immediately I regretted it. This was possibly the worst blush ever. I could feel it creeping on my neck and down my shoulders. My whole body was on fire. "Leann. Shut. Up. Now." I threatened.

"Embry, please go back in yonder." My country twang came out.

"I didn't know you had an accent!" He half-yelled and bound into the living room.

"Spill it, Evie." Leann said seriously.

"I can't." I whined.

"She was talking about sex." I heard Embry whisper loudly. I groaned and stabbed the eggs.

"I'll start it again, Evie." Leann began. "I'm not afraid to make you cringe."

"Lee. Really. I can't."

"Sex."

"Leann!" Eggs went flying onto the counter. "Please, I'll explain later."

"Lots of hot sex." How could she say _it_ and be so calm about it?

"Disconnecting now." She started to plead with me, but this was my payback. I exited Yahoo and started to stir the grits violently.

Paul snuck up on me. "So who was that?"

"Ow!" I screamed and wretched my hand back. Hot boiling grits had been flung on me in his sudden appearance.

"Hold still." He commanded and he looked over my hands. "So, who was it?"

"Leann. A friend from Alabama." My fingers slid out of his. "Let me finish this." I turned my back to him.

"What had Embry in such a mess?" He just wanted to see me blush. "He said we should be _concerned_."

"Uh." I dumped another thing of bacon into a plate. "Lee, she well, thought that, I was-uh…doing _it_ with Embry." I whispered in embarrassment. "She jumps ahead of herself."

_Silence_.

Did I dare turn to look at his face?

_Dare_.

I silently turned and his face was perfectly blank. A complete blank canvas, it would be hard to tell that he was even alive if his chest didn't slightly rise when he took breaths.

"Paul?" Instinct took over, my hand ran the length of his shoulder, and I traced small circles into his arm.

Thrill replaced the blank look. Burning warmth placed itself around my waist and then I was smashed against his body. I shouldn't like being against him as much as I do. It didn't stop me. Why wasn't I forcing rules on myself? Where was my plan now?

He was hunched over me, his nose skimming my collar bone, trailing kisses as he went. My small hands gripped his arms, trying to close the nonexistent distance between us. Soft fire made its way from my collar bone, to my neck, and then it was circling itself at the corner of my mouth.

"Ahem!" A loud voice was behind me.

In my haste to get out from his arms, I fell onto my butt and scrambled up. Stupid Evie. When did I become Evie, the hormonal teenager who cannot keep her hands to herself? Damn you Leann for instilling words of horror into my mind.

"I expected a little more from you two! Never did I expect to catch both of you in an inappropriate situation." Embry scolded and stole a piece of bacon.

For some reason I expected Paul to be nailing Embry's head against the wall, but instead he looked ridiculous shuffling from foot to foot, and a slightly drunk look overtook him. He was handling it much better than I was, I wanted to crawl away and lock myself in a cellar.

The only good thing that came out of it was that the food did not burn. It was all perfectly fine. After I raked food into their plates, I hide a plate of my own in the oven. No doubt they would sniff it out if I stayed gone for very long, but I think I _need_ pants on now, the shirt just wasn't do it for me, not after a few minutes ago.

Paul wasn't in the kitchen anymore. Instead, all four were leaning over one another, talking to low for me to hear. They would make a good mafia. No one would ever suspect them. It would so easy for them to just go around killing people. I snorted when I remember Bella saying the werewolves killed people to eat them. Vegetarian werewolves.

I started toward my room, and every head turned to look at me. "Go on and eat!" It was stampede as I watched with fascination. Pushing, shoving, growling, and stuffing food into their mouth. Disgusting.

Sassy met me at my door.

"Hey girlie. Have a good nap?" She purred and rubbed on my leg as I threw some pants on. "I think you should stay in here. You might have a heart attack if you see those gigantic boys out there." I said giving her one last pat and shutting my door.

* * *

Inhaled. All of it, even the grits. I had not even been gone for a minute and all of the food was gone. That just shows how much they care about me.

"Pigs." I muttered and pulled out my plate, which was remarkably still there.

Brady came to stand by me. "Hey, Eve's."

"Shut it you overgrown vacuum." I covered my food and jumped onto the counter were I could protect my food from these Neanderthals.

Paul was rubbing his stomach and a content smile was on his face. "It was amazing Evelyn. Thanks for cooking."

"No problem." My mouth was filled with food, but I didn't care, _I_ was hungry. Beyond hungry. Starved as if I had not eaten in days.

"Who's being a pig now?" Brady said harshly, which earned him a great big smack from Paul.

The spatula was already out of my hand, I had flung it at Brady, who dodged it effortlessly. My hand itched for the pan, if I could just get my hands on him for five minutes, that's all I would need. "Next time I see you Brady, I'm running you over with my Jeep." I stuffed more food into my mouth as he scoffed. "Think happy thoughts." I mumbled to myself.

"Speaking of happy thoughts." Started Jake. "Who was getting it on with Paul in here earlier?" He said while nudging Paul in the arm.

The new piece of bacon I had been stuffing in my mouth hung out. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I defended.

"Are you sure? We all saw. We even had to send Embry to break you two up." Blood ran to my face and stayed, I didn't say anything so he kept going. He was enjoying this to much. "I thought we were going to have a show, but you understand we all have sensitive eyes and we can't expose ourselves to indecency."

"She did proclaim earlier to her friend that they had-"

Brady stopped talking, I was on my feet, and the frying pan was in my hand aiming it at his head. "I swear, I will kill you if you say another word. I have your death all planned out. You and I will be in a terrible accident. I will be the only one to escape and when I try to make it around to your side the vehicle will explode. It would be a freak accident and I would mourn over your death. No one would suspect me, everything will work out perfectly. That I promise you. Now, go on with what you were saying." My voice was deadly and I had never been so serious in my entire life.

They were silent for a minute and then Brady said. "Damn, Jake, you were right. I should have betted on Eve's."

I rolled my eyes and settled down.

* * *

We were just a group of friends then, no one brought up the incident from earlier, and it was the new forbidden topic. For about three hours, we all sat in the living room eating potato chips and watching "Resident Evil". The boys were tense and every time a zombie would jump out, they would move as if they were fighting it. I knew better than to try and sneak up on the wolves, I would be taken out in a heartbeat.

"Oh take it out!" Screamed Embry toward the TV.

"Don't let the thing get away! Go in from the right!" Jacob pumped his fist in the air. "I said from the right!"

"They would have faired better if they went in from behind." Said Embry.

"Now way. Did you see those things? Going in from the right would have been much better." Jacob argued pushing himself to the edge of the couch.

"Right, like getting yourself killed better. You see what happened when they went in from the left. They got one of their own killed"

That argument lasted forever, all four werewolves were apart of it, they came to the conclusion of how _they_ would handle the situation. I would definitely have to keep in mind that if the world was suddenly attacked with a virus, I needed to be near the wolves. I'm pretty sure they would survive.

The home phone started ringing and I jumped up from the floor beside Brady and ran to answer it.

"Hello?" My voice sounded breathless.

"Evie. It's Emily. Are the boys still at your house?"

"Unfortunately." I laughed. "Why do I need to send them on their way?"

"Yes. I'm sorry they barged in on you. I figured they would head over there, Paul said that's where he was going. Has he talked to you yet?"

"I-" That same blush was riding up. "Naw, he hasn't. Why?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, never mind then." She paused. "Evie. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Do you think you could spend Saturday night with me too?"

"Saturday?" Two days with Emily? "Two movie nights?" Skepticism leaked into my voice.

"That's right." Emily was so calm; it was hard to doubt her.

"Okay." I had a sinking feeling the second night would not be a movie night at all.

"See you soon, Evie!"

She hung up.

Sluggishly, I walked to the living room. It must have looked like someone died because Paul was on his feet in an instant, his hands holding mine. "What happened? Who was that?"

I looked him in the eye and then turned to the rest of them. "Ya'll have to leave." I jutted out my lower lip and they cackled. "It was Emily. She wants y'all over there."

"Eve's sounds sad. I think she just wants us to fall asleep so she can kill us quietly." Brady threw an arm around me. "It must be a good thing I'm not a deep sleeper."

"You could be just saying that, besides I'd kill you first." I pointed out.

"All you two do is fight." Embry yelled as he walked out of the house. "Thanks for the food!"

"Come on Brady." Jacob pulled him away from me. "Bye, Evie."

That left Paul. "So-" We both started.

I looked down. "You first."

"All right." He cleared his throat and brought my right hand over his shoulder. "Will you reconsider going on a date with me?" He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me closer.

"I don't know." I replied honestly. "I don't know what I want. It wouldn't be fair to you." I stared into his eyes.

"Maybe I could change your mind?" He suggested, leaning down a tiny bit, a mischievous smile in place.

"That's the thing." I whispered. "I don't want you to."

His hands dropped abruptly and he backed away slightly. "You don't mean it."

"I mean every word I say." I removed my hand from his neck, to make my feeble lie more believable.

"That will change." He was back in that calm state again. "I know you'll change your mind. You have to." He muttered to himself.

Before he walked away, he planted his warm lips on my forehead. My heart was slowly waking up. If only for a moment, I was transported into some happy world where everything would be okay, where I would grow old with him, where my wolf would stand silently by my side and watch over me, but it was gone when his lips left and the tingling sensation took over.

I watched his retreating form, slightly defeated, his head hung, and I felt cruel. Here he was waiting for his imprint and when he finally finds her, she's the queen of mixed signals.


	14. Night One with Emily: Truth is Revealed

**June 6th**

Emily and I had the whole house to ourselves, at least for the time being we did. Our nails had been painted, Emily had applied makeup on me, saying something about she never saw me in it, and now we were sitting in kitchen sipping hot chocolate waiting for Sam to return home with ice cream. Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea, one that had been forming for awhile.

"Emily?"

"Hm?"

"Will you do something for me?" I leaned forward reaching for her hand with my bottom lip poking out.

Her nose scrunched. "What is it?"

"Will you cut my hair?"

"I'm not that good…" She trailed off.

"You cut the guys hair, right? It'll be easy as cake." I started to bounce in place. "Please. Please. Please."

"I don't know. Paul…" There she goes again. Paul this, Paul that.

"Emily. Don't start with Paul again." I pleaded. "If you don't do it, I'll do it myself."

That set off an alarm. "Fine. But it was your idea." She smiled her crooked smile and go to work.

Halfway through, she asked me about Paul. It was becoming tiring to hear about him every few minutes.

"What about him?" I was all for playing dumb.

"Evie." Uh-oh, woman with scissors.

"He's fine…I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yeah…" I bit my lip and hoped my blush wouldn't give me away. Past encounters with him always proved to be maddening.

"You don't like him even the tinniest bit?"

I clamped my mouth firmly shut.

She was unimpressed by lack of response. "He likes you. He might not be the best at showing it, but he does."

"Why are you telling me this?" So much for a vow of silence.

"Just so you'll give him a chance. Stop being so hard on Paul. Though I do understand, I was the same way with Sam."

"Will it always be so hard?" I whispered.

"No, things will change, for the better if you choose it to be so." I turned to look at her, a shimmering tear rolling its way down her mangled cheek. "Turn back around! I'm not through!"

Thirty minutes and fifteen inches of hair later, she was done. It barely brushed the bottom of my neck, it was all one length, and the dirty blonde tips kept trying to flip out. All in all, it was a change, a good change.

"It's wonderful!" I exclaimed, running my fingers through it.

"It makes you look older, more mature." Complimented Emily. The front door opened. "Sam!" Her face lit up like a child's, it always amazed me, there was so much that Sam brought out in her.

"Vanilla and chocolate, just like both of you wanted." I peered at Sam as he walked by me to set it in the freezer. "New hair?"

"Yup. Emily just cut it for me."

"Nice." He turned away from me and pulled Emily along with him into the small hallway. "You do know Paul is going to freak." Sam was trying to contain a laugh. "Did you learn anything?" He said suddenly serious.

They were trying their hardest to be quiet, but my ears picked up the impossibly low sounds.

"He's the best now, she's under undefined pressure, and she knows this. I'm not sure if she's ready to accept it."

"Should I tell him to back off? He already has supervised visits." Sam tone was colored with worry and indifference. "She brings out the worst in him." That definitely wasn't meant for me to hear, I really was the worst imprint ever.

"No, if he backs off, I doubt they would speak again."

"That's their problem." He paused. "They speak, but don't talk."

I heard the sound of the door closing. I busied myself with dipping out ice cream for the both of us.

"Now. Ready for our movie night?"

I numbly nodded my head and moved the couch, ice cream in hand. I really needed it. The comforting sensation and the filling liquidly goodness was really the comfort cure. I was working on third bowl, bawling my eyes out to Gone with the Wind and I wasn't even paying attention. Emily had the same look, the small amount of mascara she had applied was rolling down her face, I could only imagine what my face looked like.

That was probably the longest four hours of my life, Scarlett lusting after this Ashley fellow, then Rhett rejecting her in the end, then she vowing to get him back, which I doubted she would be able to do, or at least that's what I gathered from the movie, I still don't understand it.

Emily sniffled and turned toward me. "Wasn't that the greatest?" She burst into a new round of sobs.

"Peachy." I patted her arm sympathetically. "Can we watch Pride and Prejudice now?" I jumped up and down as I slide the DVD in.

Soon I forgot all about Emily. It was Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth and I, all alone as I watched their wonderful love play out. If I had been bawling before it was nothing compared to now, the waterworks were on full force. Right now, Elizabeth was refusing his proposal, giving off lines that I could only dream of pulling off.

A big body blocked my view. "Move! Move!" I shouted, pushing on their legs, I didn't care whose they just needed to move.

"Pushy isn't she?" I heard Sam say and plop down on the end of the couch beside Emily.

"Tell me about it." Paul was sitting beside me, his warmth radiating onto me.

"Shush!" I said to both and continued to watch the movie.

At some point Emily had fallen asleep and Sam was moving her back to their room, and he said his goodnights. I was determined not to fall asleep, only twenty minutes of the movie left, and it's only two in the morning. Focus.

The last thing I saw was Lady Catherine, being the vile woman that she is, was giving Elizabeth a good talking to, but this was a pivotal moment in Mr. Darcy's and her relationship, Elizabeth finally realized she was in love.

* * *

Why am I surrounded by boiling hot lava? I'm in the lava and yet I'm not dieing? What kind of dream is this?

My eye's fluttered open, it was still dark so it took a moment for my eyes to adjust and I yawned. Warmth was lying on my stomach; of better yet I was lying on it. I squinted trying to make out what was going on, so this was the culprit responsible for my lava dream. I was pulled up to Paul's chest, his head tucked between my head and shoulder, and I was laying half on top of him. I moved my legs, unfortunately one of mine was in the middle of Paul's and I heard him groan.

"Oh shit." I whispered and tried to pull myself away. His arms continued their vice-grip hold on me. "Paul." I whispered in his ear.

He didn't respond. "Paul." I said a little louder. I felt him shift slightly. "I know you're awake."

"Just go back to sleep." He mumbled drowsily.

"Not until you let me go." I tried once again to pull myself away, unsuccessfully.

"Sleep." He commanded.

Well he asked for it. I started to bounce or you could say flop in place and the bed started to shake.

He started to whine. "Stop, please? Let's sleep."

"Not gonna happen. This is what you get."

I was then pulled up into a sitting position, well me straddling one of his legs and he was looking me in the eye. "Evelyn." He whispered and looked down, finally taking in that I was on him.

"Don't you Evelyn me. Now tell me why you're in the same bed as me?"

"Technically this is my room, well more so. So that makes it my bed." What a smartass.

"I'm taking the couch." I replied and pulled myself away. That almost changed when I hit the cold air, I was leaving the warmth, what a stupid idea.

Paul was still whining telling me to come back when I opened the guest room door, Sam stood outside staring at me. "Could you two have been any louder?" I shrugged and started to pull the door closed. "Where are you going?"

"The couch." I stifled a yawn and made my move to the couch only I was stopped by Sam.

"It's occupied." Sam was finding this amusing.

I put my head between my knees. "The floor then?"

"Only if you want to be by smelly feet." He patted my head and sent me back in the guest room.

I stood awkwardly for a moment and Paul laughed. "You weren't gone for very long."

"Touch me and you die." I threatened.

He only grinned and patted the place next to him. I sucked up my embarrassment and laid down. The bed was not that big and I had to lie on the corner to even escape his massive form. In mere seconds, I was lulled to sleep and warmth hands were guiding themselves around me.

* * *

"They're so cute together!" I heard someone say.

"Where's that camera you bought Paul?" Asked another.

"I see it, there."

The floorboard creaked and I tried very hard not to open my eyes, it was horrible enough being caught here, but waking up, that would make it in my top five worst moments.

"Here, take a picture." I now recognized that as the voice of Kim.

"Aw, look he has new pictures of her." Emily said, and then a few seconds later, a flash went off in the room and they started to giggle and shut the door.

"Ugh." I slipped out of Paul's arms, who was surprisingly still asleep. How could anyone have slept through that?

Curiosity got the best of me; I wanted to know exactly what pictures he had of me. I tip-toed to the other side of the room and turned on the camera. All the pictures that Emily had taken were on here, even that shameful video of me threatening the 'birthday boy'. Then pictures I didn't recognize started to show, ones of me sitting outside by myself outside of Emily's home, some where I was in my bathing suit playing with the guys, and some from yesterday. I didn't even know that he was taking them. How could I have _not_ seen a giant wolf boy taking pictures of me while I was cooking in my underwear? Right, I was busy having a _private_ conversation with Leann. The ones from last night caught my eye, I was in his arms dreaming of molten lava, there were a bunch of those, and then there was the one Emily and Kim snapped. Even I had to stifle an 'awe'.

"What are you doing?" Asked Paul who was sitting up in the bed looking at me expectantly; I had been caught.

"I was just wondering why I had a stalker." I set the camera down and crossed my arms.

"Do you always snoop through peoples things?" He was rather angry, I would be to if someone caught me rifling through their dirty laundry.

"Not always, but it held a certain curiosity." I narrowed my eyes. "Boy did I get a kick out of it, all were of me."

Paul was up in a matter of seconds and his hands were on my shoulders. "Why are you always like this? You never act this way around anyone else. Only me." His anger had simmered and he slightly shook my shoulders, a desperate look in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I mumbled looking down; my hair could no longer hide me.

"Why'd you cut it?" He whispered, his fingers shifting through it.

My brows knotted in the middle, "I wanted a change." I put my hand on the door knob.

"Well, you got it." He said rather harshly.

"I didn't ask whether you approved of it or not! Quite frankly I don't care!" I turned on my heel and slammed the door. Once again, a hulking figure stood in front of me, all I know is threw my arms around their waist. They were extremely tense, but I felt their arms wrap around me to comfort me as I silently sobbed. I was breaking, I knew I was fighting Paul, and it hurt.

"Oh Quil. I'll take over." Emily's arms wrapped around me and soon I was sitting on the couch, with my head on her shoulder, and she was smoothing down my hair.

"Sam, maybe we should tell her now." Hinted Emily.

"Tonight." Was all he said and he walked away going in the direction of the guest room.

"I'll make you some breakfast, it won't be long." Emily stated, not giving me a choice in the matter.

I looked around for a moment and then stretched out on the couch. That's where I stayed for most of the day, only getting up when Emily called me to eat or I had to use the bathroom.

Around noon, Embry came by. He took one look at me and began to scowl and it seemed like he was speaking another language. Quileute.

"I don't like it when people mope." He said while raising my legs and sitting down then placing them onto him.

"I'm not moping." I mumbled into my arm.

"Of course your not." He flicked my leg. "Seeing as how you're going to have permanent lines on your face from that cute little frown, and the way your eyes look extremely sad. You're right you're not moping." He paused. "You're also sulking."

"Embry. Those are practically the same word." My voice was dead, it surprised me at lifeless I sounded so, monotone.

"Let's use more words then?" He tapped his temple thoughtfully. "Glum. Uh…"

I rolled my eyes and laughed; it was off, compared to my carefree laughter that I usually had this was a change. "Embry I wonder about you sometimes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He touched his heart and poked out his lips.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

"You've got to stop this." He pulled me up into a sitting position despite my protesting. "We're gonna do something."

"But…I was comfortable." I complained.

"You're gonna get couch-sores!" He drug me through the Uley's front door and down the steps.

We didn't stop walking as I listened to him rant, I inserted the occasional 'oh' and 'uh-huh', just to satisfy him. I didn't realize where we were until I looked at my surroundings. We were under a green canopy, a slight drizzle escaping the foliage above, huge trees were everywhere I looked, but it seemed we were on some unmarked trail. If I didn't know any better I would think I was the girl in the slash films, the one who survives until the end then gets chopped to bits.

A flash of silver caught my eye and I turned. Embry kept going, oblivious to my sudden stop. My breathing was constricted, it hurt, please don't let me have a panic attack. I stood there trying to measure my breathing into a slower pace, when I saw it again. It had gone behind the tree to the left of me, I stumbled backwards, and my short hair was caught in a lower limb. I frantically tried to untangle it when the silver thing made itself known.

A dark silver wolf came whimpering toward me. It's head was slightly bowed and it's tail tucked as if it was trying not to frighten me. I stopped immediately. It was Paul. Paul the werewolf Paul. I was seeing a werewolf for the first time. They are real! I jumped up and down for a moment so caught up in the sudden thrill of seeing another Twilight miracle that I completely forgot about Embry. Was this his intention? To abandon me in the middle of nowhere only to have my werewolf protector lead me back home? I looked around, no sign of Embry. He was smarter than I give him credit for.

I snatched my hair out of the branch and hesitated before approaching the Paul wolf. The wolf was so intimidating! No wonder people went out hunting for them, they were practically danger on legs. I timidly stuck my hand out, letting it stop a few inches in front of him. The Paul wolf nuzzled my hand as I cautiously glided it over his muzzle. I could feel my lips pulling up into a smile, as I ran my fingers through his soft fur, memorizing where it lightened up slightly and where it went darker around his large neck. It felt just like rabbits fur, except a thousand times softer.

"This is more tolerable." I muttered. I saw Paul cock his head and I just laughed it off. "Sit with me? I'm kinda tired."

I plopped on the ground and Paul paused, as if in indecision. I patted the waterlogged ground, beckoning him to join. He exhaled through his large nostrils and carefully curled himself around me. This is what I always wanted to experience, to cuddle up with a wolf in the middle of nowhere. I was doing major cuddling now, since it was most likely the only time I would be able to.

"You know, you're really warm, like a security blanket." I buried my face into his neck and he coughed. When he did his whole body shook and I couldn't help but smile.

I had never smelt Paul before, but now I was. He smelt like the woods, but there was another scent, kind of like pine and the smell of rain just before it hits an area when there has been a drought. I really missed that smell.

The Paul wolf was looking at me intently and I could fell my blush, I wasn't immune to his eyes even in wolf form. I leaned forward a kissed him on the side of his cheek. I left my head there and hugged onto him. I wanted prolong the moment, where I could just breathe him in, but eventually time would run out. Should I reveal that I know what he is? Maybe I could hint around it, if I didn't do it now, I'm sure that Sam and the pack will tell me tonight.

"Can I ask you something?" I straightened up, but my hands never left his fur. He nodded and I smiled again. "You're not just a wolf." I stated. Paul stiffened. "No, you're not just a wolf. A descendant of Taha Aki."

Paul stood up and dashed away before I had a chance to say anything. I cursed and buried my hands into my now damp hair.

A twig snapping caused me to look back up. Paul stood shirtless, his muscles rippling, looking down at me with confusion, but he took a seat beside me. "How did you find out?"

"I pieced it together. I've known for awhile." It wasn't a big deal but Paul seemed to think so.

"How could you piece something like together?" He asked frustrated, "We don't exactly advertise it on our shirts."

The same way Bella pieced it together. Duh. "It was simple and it all fit. Besides ya'll were going to tell me tonight." His hand that he was about to run through his hair was now stationed at his cheek, a shocked look was plastered on his face. "Sam and Emily hinted at it earlier today."

"So, you're not upset by the fact that I'm a wolf?" Paul was looking down avoiding my gaze; the wounded puppy look fit him now.

"Not at all. I think we proved that a few minutes ago." A big smirk was on my face as he glanced back up. "I like you better that way."

"You like my wolf form better than me?" Grief constricted itself on his face.

I hate when he does that. "I wouldn't say that." I amended.

A spark of happiness came about him, but it suddenly went away. "Sorry about this morning."

I frowned. "Don't worry, I was not any better. Sorry I've been awful to you." Sincerity rang through my words. I really was sorry, I hate having to be mean to him just for the sake of my own plans.

"Why were you like that?" Paul reached for my arm and pulled me into his lap, and his head rested on top of mine.

I sighed in contentment. "Because I was afraid. I still am, this" I motioned to how we were, "scares me. But after this morning I made up my mind. I'm going head first; I'm going to face my fear." I laughed at how ridiculous it all sounded.

"I don't want you to be afraid." He murmured into my hair. "I have to tell you something, something else about the legends."

Here it goes. "Okay."

"Werewolves, when we find our soul-mate, our perfect match, we imprint on them. Are you with me?" I liked the edge in his voice, somewhat majestic, and rough, it was much better than Billy's, much better than anyone's was.

"Yea." I whispered, leaning into him more.

"When we see her, it's like love at first sight, or simply gravity moves. We become whatever she needs a friend, a brother, a lover, but we're always her protector, not matter what." He gave an agitated sigh, and then slightly turned my torso toward him, so I could look at his face. "What I'm trying to say is… I imprinted on you, Evelyn."

My lips twitched, and I had to fight back my smile. "All right, I believe you."

Paul studied my face for a moment and narrowed his eyes, "Why aren't you running away?"

"Is that what you want me to do?" I hissed. My head dropped and I smiled apologetically. "Sorry, old habits die hard."

He started to rub soothing circles on my back, which made me practically melt. "I don't want you to run, but it's kinda expected. I'm glad you're taking this so well."

"If I did run I wouldn't get very far. I'm not faster than a werewolf, but I suppose I _could_ try." A coy look crossed my face.

"Mhm…that is if I let you go, now that I finally have you." His grip tightened.

"Sorry, good sir, you don't have me quite yet." I said, squirming my way out of his hold, which did not work.

"Oh, but I will." He replied confidently.

"I still wanna run." I said pouting. "Give me a head start?"

"That would be cheating." He stated and pulled me up into a standing position.

"That would be fair. My legs are only so long, I don't walk on stilts unlike most people." I coughed and said his name. "Now point me in the right direction."

A sigh of defeat came from him and he pointed out a little trail to the side. "Keep going that way. Try not to fall." He pleaded.

"Sorry to say I'm not that clumsy." I flashed him a grin and I took off, my laughter trailing after me.

I peeked over my shoulder and Paul was still standing there, he really was giving me a head start, that was until he started after me, full speed, but he kept a slight distance. I could hear him chuckling behind me as we jumped over fallen logs and made our way around bushes. I could see a light coming from in front of me; we were almost home free.

"You jerk! You're going easy on me!" I called as I broke through the edge of the forest, right beside the Uley house.

"Easy, huh?"

The next thing I knew I was being thrown into the air by Paul and he did a belly dive and turned me over before he could squish me or I fell into the gravel. I was laughing so hard, I didn't notice the staring faces.

I buried my face into his shaking chest to stifle my laughter, which did no good next to his bellowing laugh.

"I knew it would work! What did I tell you?" I heard Embry say, I could even hear the happiness in his voice.

Paul groaned and pulled us into sitting position. I was going to chicken out and hide my face in his chest some more, but I looked at the awaiting faces. Embry and Quil stood off to the side grinning, Sam looked mad and then a little relived at the same time, and Emily, oh Emily was about to combust with happiness.

"If leaving me in the middle of the woods was your intention it worked. " I shot icy daggers at Embry.

Sam's eyes tightened. "You left that out Embry." He growled.

"Sorry, sorry, it worked though!" He defended.

I pulled out of Paul's arms, automatically wanting to recoil and go back to Evie the teenager with mixed signals, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I stood up and backed away slightly, but where I was still standing next to Paul, who was picking himself off the ground.

"Next time, try not to be so drastic." Paul warned.

"Do I get no praise?!" Embry cried.

Emily spoke. "Even though leaving her in the middle of the woods was horrible, I'm glad. Finally." She sighed and hugged onto Sam, who in turn wrapped his arms around her.

Paul pulled me into an embrace, but I was extremely stiff, he noticed and pulled away slightly, everyone seemed to notice as well and gave sympathetic smiles. He started to drag me toward the front of the house when Embry smirked and stuck his tongue out at me. I pulled away from Paul and stood next to Embry's towering frame.

"You're on my list of car crash victims." I threatened.

He rolled his eyes and put on a worried look. "As long as I'm at the top." He ruffled my hair and trotted past me into the house and I scowled at him as he went.

"You've really got to stop thinking you're invincible." Paul said as he once again pulled me into his arms and up the stairs.

"What's wrong with that? For all you know I might be." My cheeks puffed as he stopped and took my face in his large hands.

"You have no idea what we're capable of. I can't…" He choked up, cleared his throat, and tried again. "I'm not allowed to be by myself with you. I can hurt you so badly, if you got in the way at the wrong moment, or if I suddenly got mad." He rambled on for a moment until I covered his mouth.

"I understand. I don't help with that any, I have quite the temper too. Even Sa-" I stopped myself and took his hands off my face.

"What were you going to say?" He demanded.

"None ya." I replied briskly.

"You were going to say Sam, what did he say?" This is where I disliked Paul, his arrogance, and his need to know for all information that was not his to know.

"Paul drop it." I tried to keep my tone steady, but Paul was already beyond the point of reason.

"I should know these things!" He yelled. "You're supposed to tell me these things!"

Just when we were making progress. "That's not how it works Paul! I can't just tell you everything, there's a such thing called over-indulgence, I'm entitled to my secrets too! I can't just tell you to make you happy, because there will be other times, and you'll keep doing it over and over again. I'm not feeding that habit. I refuse to, do you hear me?" I screamed back to him, my fists clenching and unclenching. If he thinks that I will tell him everything just to make him happy, he's crazy.

Paul walked backwards from me, still looking at me a furious gleam in his eyes, his frame quivering, and his shape blurring. He was about to phase. I knew this all too well, and yet I was not scared for my life.

"You can't do that forever Paul, you have to talk to me, or else we'll never accomplish anything."

He made it to the edge of the forest when he suddenly a sickening crunch was heard and his wolf form busted out, silver fur flew everywhere, and he took off running.

The front door opened to reveal a pissed Quil and Embry who both were stripping and running in the direction of Paul. "I hope Paul gets his ass kicked." I muttered and turned to see Sam.

"So you heard me yesterday." It was a fact, a true fact; I nodded. "I mean no offense, but you seen what just happened. Paul is uncontrollable, especially when it comes to you, I won't have him near you unsupervised." He was about to move when something clicked. "I'm guessing he told you everything already?"

"Yea." I replied sheepishly, my anger was long gone, I was only upset with the fact he rather explode into a big furry animal than talk with me. Where was the compromise?

He sighed and took off running just as the wolves before him had done.

I stomped into the Uley house and took a seat in a kitchen chair.

Emily looked down at me pitifully and small frown on her face. "Why don't you take a shower and sleep till everyone arrives. We were going to get together to explain everything to you, but it seems Paul beat us to it, but everyone's coming anyway"

I nodded and slid out of the chair. The feeling in my skin was gone as the water beat me; I was numb. I did not stop moving until I reached the bed, with shorts and a t-shirt on me, and I fell into it, falling into a stressed sleep, where I would surely do lots of turning and twisting.


	15. Night Two with Emily: Disaster

Something was pulling my hair and giggling. No, make that a _someone_. Then the poking commenced, small fingers were poking me in my back.

I groaned and slid to the other side of the bed, curling up into the scratchy blankets. That didn't stop the menace from following me and poking me, if anything it made the menace giggle louder. I turned abruptly toward the culprit, only to be poked in the cheek by a little girl. It was the same girl that Quil had been chasing when I met than on the beach.

"Claire?" I mumbled and sat up and flicked on the bedside light.

She threw her small self into my lap and started to babble, talking a mile a minute.

"Claire, how old are you?" I asked smiling.

"I'm four years old!" She shouted and started to jump up and down on my lap.

The door to the guest room opened to reveal a stressed looking woman.

"Claire, dear, we've been looking for you." The woman smiled a worn down smile at me. "Come on."

"I don't wanna." Claire said while pouting.

"Claire…" The woman had a stern tone and I hated seeing Claire go, she could make me forget for awhile.

"If you don't mind, I wouldn't mind looking after Claire. I used to do it all the time back where I lived. It would no trouble." Claire was still jumping up and down on me, squealing with delight.

"Are you sure?" The woman said, worry in her eyes. "I don't want you to have to go through the trouble."

"No, no, I'm sure."

She gave a hefty sigh and left.

"So Claire, I'm Evie, what do you do for fun?" I stretched my arms above my head and Claire started to rattle off things.

"I like being with Quil, he's always so fun and he makes me laugh and he always gets me M&M's. Then there are my dolly's. Play with me, please? Evie, please?" This had to be where the boys got their looks from or either they were teaching the girl tactics to use on the unsuspecting baby-sitters.

"Of course. Where are your dolly's?"

Claire jumped up and grabbed my finger with her little hand and drug me out of the room and into the living room. A huge pile of dolls, Barbie's, and, blocks set in a circle in front of the couch. I sighed as we both laid down and we began to pretend we were princess's would needed to be saved.

There was no one else in the living room, the woman didn't come out, and I could only hear Emily beating around in the kitchen. The wolf boys still were not back.

"Evie?" Claire poked my arm. "Why do you look so sad?"

I blinked a few times and smiled. "I'm not sad, not at all, in fact, I'm happy that I'm able to play princess with you."

She giggled and continued to build a castle out of her blocks, while I stared aimlessly out a small side door that I never noticed before. It was raining as usual, but the wind was howling, and the limbs beat the roof in an almost frightening way.

"Evie, Claire, do you want to frost the cupcakes while I go change?" Emily asked coming into our view. She looked a little terrified and guarded, as if at any moment she was waiting for the worst to happen.

"Sure, Emily. We'll do just that, right Claire?" I tried to keep enthusiasm in my voice, but I gave Emily a pointed look as she walked by.

Claire and I began to ice the cupcakes, occasionally stealing some of the icing and eating it ourselves. Little Claire had blue frosting all over her cheek, but it stop her from making an even bigger mess. My vision was directed to the window above the counter for an instant, where I saw something flash by in the rain. The small tube of icing that was in my hand collided with the floor and I froze.

"Evie?" Claire called to me. "Are you okay? You look sick." Such an intuitive little girl.

I forced my mouth to move. "I'm fine." My eyes never left the window. "Will you finish this up?"

"Sure!" She said enthusiastically.

Emily returned not a moment later and saw the look of horror on my face. "What happened?"

"Where are the guys?" I needed to know before I went jumping to conclusions.

"Patrolling." She said simply, but there was the underlying worry I was looking for.

"Any of them stick around the house?"

"At least two of them." I exhaled in relief. I had been _wrong_; it was just a wolf.

"It was nothing." I laughed while answering her first question and sunk into a near by chair. Claire claimed my lap instantly and curled around me.

"She's stuck to you like glue." Chuckled Emily.

"I don't mind, I love kids. I can't wait to have some of my own one day." I smiled fondly at Claire as she fell asleep. "I might not have the patience, but all the little games they play, the way they speak, laugh, it makes it hard to not want kids. Who wouldn't want that? Yes, I could definitely earn patience." I was speaking more to myself, fusing my words into my brain; patience is what I really needed.

Emily didn't say anything, she just smiled I guess happy that I did want kids, and she busied herself once again with the dishes.

"I'm going to lay her down." I told Emily and I went to the couch. Claire wouldn't let go of my neck as I tried to lay her down. Even prying her little fingers didn't work, so I gave up and just laid down with her head resting on my shoulder. The rain was soothing, it had calmed down outside, it became an almost drowsy effect.

I closed my eyes.

--

"_Hello." Called a bitter voice. _

_I turned and saw nothing. A black void surrounded me. I couldn't make out anything, nothing seemed to be there, but where had the voice came from?_

"_Looking for me, are you?" Taunted the voice. "You shouldn't look for something you cannot fight." The voice was distinctly male and it chilled me to the bone. _

_My heart was hammering against my sternum as I twisted myself around. Where was I? Was I awake? _

"_Unfortunately no, you're not awake. I could kill you so easily if you were." It sounded sad, like it was upset that it couldn't kill me. _

_Then it hit me. _

"_Of course, small one, I'm a vampire." I stopped breathing. "Haha, your fear is amusing; can you not decide if you're afraid of me?" _

_Of course, I was afraid, but dreams cannot hurt you. _

"_Wrong." Whispered the voice, the hairs on my neck were raised and I felt the trickle of breath there, almost tangible. _

_Cold iron hands clasped around my arms and twisted them violently. Crunching of my bone was heard and I screamed out in pain. _

"_See, dreams have pain in them." He leaned against me, steadying his hands against my waist and the base of my neck. _

_Why was I dreaming this? Who was this vampire?_

"_I'll grant your wish of eternal life." His thumb trailed down my jugular vein, and when I swallowed, I could almost sense him smiling. _

"_I don't want eternal life." I snapped, I don't know where the sudden burst of courage came from, maybe it was for the fact that the wolf boys would kill me in a heartbeat if they saw me as a vampire. _

"_That's not true." He argued, closing my mouth with his hand when I began to protest. "You want to stay forever with who was it? Paul…or maybe it's this…Seth." _

_Forever would not include them; it would be pointless. _

"_Oh so you're still undecided? That's awful of you, Evelyn. Playing with a mans heart." He knew my name. "You should have neither of them." _

_A __sickening __sweet smell hit my nose. _

"_Oh, Evelyn, you have so much to learn. So, so much." I felt his teeth graze along my neck and I started to whimper. "It is almost time… "_

_No!_

"_Evie!" called a voice. _

"_Evelyn, wake up!" shouted another. _

"_You're lucky or maybe not so lucky. I'll tell you my name…"_

--

I gasped and clutched my neck. The response triggered me to cry out; my arms were throbbing in pain. An undefined pain.

"Evie, what's wrong?" Hot hands were placed on the side of my face as I frantically looked around.

"He's not here is he?" My voice went up an octave higher than usual. I was in panic mode.

"Who's not here?" I recognized Seth in front of me; his shoulder had pink fading lines on it.

"The- The…" I looked around at the concerned faces and took a deep breath. "It was just a dream."

"Dreams don't just make you scream out like that. You were talking to someone." Sam's authoritative voice hit me like lightening, the pack was here, and it meant no danger.

I didn't say anything as I gingerly sat up, Seth took a seat beside me and I got a good look at all the faces, all but one, Paul. He wasn't here.

"Where's Claire?" I asked suddenly.

"With Emily." Responded Quil.

The pain in my arms had dulled, but it was an aching reminder of my dream, I could smell him, feel him, everything was so _real_. I didn't hear his name though.

"Emily said y'all were patrolling."

"Yeah, the bloodsucker hit the cliffs and we couldn't go any farther. It was like it had some kind of _map_ and knew where we couldn't go." Embry looked upset, but it looked like all had taken a good beating.

"Was it a he?" Maybe that was some reinforcement for my dream, that maybe somehow it was real.

"I guess." Embry plopped onto a near by chair and stretched. "I mean the thing was laughing at us, like it was having some good joke." He said through clenched teeth.

"Who was stationed around the house?"

"Collin and I." Spoke Jared.

"At any time were you not here?" I pushed.

"Uh…we went to check a trail that Sam pointed, but only for a few minutes, nothing was around the house."

"What are you getting at, Evelyn?" Sam took over.

"I saw it." I whispered. They all tensed.

"Where?"

"The window in front of the counter; Claire and I were frosting cupcakes when I saw it flash by." Quil was shaking violently, probably at the thought that Claire could have been taken from him for forever.

"Quil, calm yourself." Sam was kneeling in front of me with a perfect poker face. All the wolf boys shared faces of concern, each of them were facing Sam, waiting for the command. "Did you see the leech after that?"

"No." Sam started to get up from his position.

I blocked out everything they were saying after that, I was focused on why a vampire was in my dream. I wish that the Twilight Saga was still continuing that way I would know what would happen. I began to recount my dream, his voice, the way he worded things, anything that would make sense. Obviously, I was supposed to learn something, but when I did, what would happen? Would something _happen_? What didn't make sense is why I could smell him, but it took forever for me to do so.

Seth's arm was lightly sitting on my shoulder and he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "What do you think of all this?"

I was caught off guard for a moment and I scrunched up my face. "It's very…weird."

"Weird?" This was the part where he must think I'm crazy. "So you're not going to freak on us?"

I snorted causing all of them to look at me. "Don't worry, I'm finding my way back to sanity again."

--

Dinner was long and boring. Claire and I were the only ones talking. It was surprising to see all the guys staring at their food with glares. No doubt, they all were thinking of the bloodsucker.

Paul still wasn't here, it was disappointing that the time I decide to do something right it blows up in my face. Maybe that was proof enough that it wasn't meant to be. That imprinting isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Claire stuffed her face with French fries and her little hands grabbed at the ones on my plate. We were sitting beside each other, she was happy she would get to sit in _'the big chair'_, but it meant that I constantly had to catch her before she hit the floor with her squirming. The whole time I felt Quil eyes on both of us, like he was afraid I would drop her, or that some mythical monster would jump out and kidnap her. That idea alone had me constantly looking over my back.

A knock on the side door was heard and Sam immediately left the table.

I strained to hear what was being said, all the wolves had perked as well.

"Go home Paul." Always cool and collected, Sam had it all down pat.

"I need to speak to her Sam. I can't do anything but think about her. Please Sam. What if it was Emily? You would be begging to talk to her too." Paul was desperate and maybe a little hysterical.

My chair squeaked from under me, I was already heading toward the door, even with the protests from the gang behind me; they _wouldn't _be able to stop me. I could hear Sam reasoning with Paul to just leave, but Paul wasn't the only one who wanted to talk.

I rounded the corner and caught sight of both of them. Sam was intimidating him, standing at his full height, his arms crossed and a scowl was permanently etched into his face. Paul wasn't being fazed, with hands were flying everywhere as he spoke low, trying to give Sam a good reason to let him in.

I sucked in a breath and stood beside Sam, my arms crossed, I was perfectly matching Sam, expect for his enormous height.

"Evelyn, go back." Sam ordered.

No, no, I was not going to be ordered around by Sam. "No." I stated firmly causing him to turn his glare on me. "I want to talk to Paul."

Paul lit up like Christmas tree, just because I wanted to talk to him. I guess it didn't bother him that would start back arguing in a few minutes.

Between my stubborn self and Paul's begging, Sam caved, but not without a look that said _'I'll be listening.'_

Paul pulled me outside and shut the door behind me. There was a small awning above us sheltering us from the needlelike rain. Silence stretched for a moment, as we both watched the wind whipping our hair around the limbs of the trees swishing back and forth.

"I'm-" He started.

"Don't say you're sorry. You say it every time. I can't take it if you say again." I sighed and leaned against the door, which nine nosey werewolves were sure to be behind. "I want to say something."

"Okay." He replied grimly.

"Don't get upset and run away from me just because you can't have your way." I saw him nod in my peripheral view. "You…" I grabbed my temples and rubbed them, I couldn't even focus on what I wanted to say. "Could you please not…fight with me and then blow up into your wolf form? We can't do anything if we never talk. And it seems like you don't want to talk to me sometimes." Yeah, I was one to talk, but from times with him, he just locks himself out from anyone then stomps off angrily into the woods. "Just try to understand, that some thing's I can't share with you, even if you want to know, it's not for me to tell." I just had to let him know that I knew what was best, because after all, _I_ do know what's best.

Paul was shaking his head slightly, and his fists were balled stuck against his side. "I can't believe you wouldn't tell me, something that you heard; I still don't know what it was. Sam said I didn't need to know, but whatever it was had you sad." He explained through clenched teeth.

"Even more reason for you not to know. Paul, if I can get through one conversation without turning into a cat, then you can get through this one without blowing up into a wolf." I replied sarcastically.

That stopped his convulsions and he just looked at me. "You weren't kidding about that?"

I erupted with laughter and put my hand on his shoulder. "You're so gullible."

"Yea, well, it seemed possible." He grumbled. "Sam put me under an order. After this, I won't see you. Not unless I'm on good behavior." He pulled me into a hug.

My head was against his burning hot chest and I sighed, remember earlier this afternoon when everything was going so good. "To bad for you." I muttered.

"You won't miss me?" He asked feigning hurt.

"Maybe a tad, but come on there's nine other wolves to keep me entertained." The possibilities were endless when Paul wasn't around, cliff diving was still on my list. Jacob would not let me get hurt; he even said 'there's always next time'.

"You better not to do anything stupid. I'll have to beat them up."

"Paul, I don't think you could take nine wolves, it's really uneven." I pulled away to give him a smile, which he positively beamed at me.

"Don't worry. You only talk to maybe four of them, it wouldn't be that bad." He clicked tongue at me.

"You're stupid."

"I just had to make sure you were okay, I wasn't going to leave you without knowing you were alright." What a turn around.

"You sure you can't come in? You're on good behavior now."

"Sam will kill me." He didn't pull away from me when I was walking like penguin to the door. It was really hard to balance with an overgrown wolf boy hugging onto you. It's not like I could turn him invisible, I wasn't one of "The Incredibles".

"You can't, like use your wolf powers to talk him to death?"

"That would be a big help." He replied smoothly, only a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He then picked me up, my feet dangled toward the ground and he swiftly opened the door. Five of the nine werewolves stood grinning at us.

"You two sure do make up fast." Collin is now on my car crash list as well. "I was at least expecting a yelling match. Way to rain on my parade." His full lips puckered out and Jared pulled him into a head lock.

Paul dropped me and went to help beat up Collin. Rough housing is probably one of my favorite past times, but unfortunately for me, no one is one the level of the little human. They eventually went to the kitchen.

I wandered into the living room; there stood a dancing Seth off in his own world. Mp3 ear-buds trailed down to his jeans pocket, he hadn't even acknowledged me, well his back was toward me, but I was waiting. He busted out all the old school moves, the only thing unfair about it was that he moved with such precision and grace that I could never achieve, let alone dream about.

And then came the Cabbage Patch crossed over with the moonwalk. Whatever possessed him to do such a thing, I'm eternally grateful for. I bet my face was purple from the lack of breathing, I was trying to hold my breath and laughter back, I didn't want the other wolves to see him dancing, I doubt they would let him live it down. When he finally turned, first, it was shock and then he stuck out his hand, beckoning me to join him.

That's what I did. He bent down and I took one of his ear-buds and placed it my ear. Boy was I surprised at what was playing, "Dragostea din tei" or better known as "Numa Numa". I gazed at him for a moment and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged and then began to dance. I'd seen enough YouTube videos to know what the "Numa Numa" dance was, and as ridiculous as it sounds, I was totally in love with this song.

So, there we were getting our Numa Numa on in the living room of the Uley house, completely oblivious to anything and anyone. This is why Seth was such a good person, no matter what – usually – he was always in good spirits and never ceased to have fun.

"What in the world?" I turned quickly and slipped, sweaty feet and slick wood do not go together. Seth caught me in the nick of time, I would have been a puddle of Evie stew on the floor if it weren't for him. The side of my face was squished with Seth's and we laughed manically at Embry's expression, a mix between humor and disgust. "I don't even wanna know." He turned on his heel and went back to the kitchen, most likely going to explain our bizarre dance moves

I turned my head and stared head on at Seth. We were so close, closer than Paul had ever come. Only centimeters separated us, and before my thought process could stop it, we kissed.

My first kiss.

It was gentle, unexpected, and warm, it radiated everywhere as I hooked my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer. His hands stayed on the middle of my back, while his other cradled my face; this is what it felt like to kiss a werewolf.

"Ahem." A voice cleared and we broke apart, we had been caught, by none other than Jake.

I was gasping for air and my face flushed even more under Jacobs displeased gaze.

"Was that really a smart thing to do Seth?" I was afraid of this Jacob; his tone held authority and he sounded slightly bitter. "And you!" He directed all of his anger toward me. "You're the imprint, are you done playing your games?" He stepped closer to me, to where all he had to do was lean down and whisper in my ear. I flinched away. "Stop playing games with Paul. You're doing more harm than good." He sneered and marched away.

It came back to me, what the vampire in my dream had said, "_Oh so you're still undecided? That's awful of you, Evelyn. Playing with a mans heart…You should have neither of them." _All I was doing was trying to figure out whom I needed, whom I couldn't be apart from, and whom I could stand to leave. With Paul, there was enough chemistry to explode a building and with Seth, there was enough chemistry to explode _me_. Would that change?

I didn't deserve either of them, my dream vampire had been right.

Jacob had slammed the back door, I could hear it shake, and the glass busting followed shortly. The wolves in the kitchen started to file into the small living to see what the commotion was about. It was claustrophobic, just as my first plane ride had been, my hands started to ring themselves together. Sam gave a curious glance and Paul, well Paul became Paul. His hot hands landed on my shoulders, but I refused to face him.

"Evelyn. Look at me."

I idly wondered if I looked as guilty as I felt. Did I regret it? No. I had wanted to kiss Seth for the longest time. I reddened at the thought and my eyes strayed to Seth's. I hoped to find disgust or maybe resentful eyes, but instead I found jealous ones, ones that looked at me with a longing.

"Evelyn…" Paul whispered, bringing my attention back to him. In a matter of minutes, or hours, Paul would know the truth. "What had Jake so riled up?"

Again, I looked at Seth and back to Paul. How childish of me to think I could get through this without hurting anyone. Romeo and Paris, but who was who? And who would fall?

The jig was up. Paul understood the uncomfortable silence, the never ending glances between Seth and I, why Jacob was so mad, he knew. In the blink of an eye, Seth was thrown against the house, causing the wall to shake and a picture to drop from its hanger. Seth didn't fight back, but Paul was the one throwing the punches and shaking violently. The wolf boys had to work with pushing them outside.

A hundred emotions ran by me as I watched the fight play out. I was able to gaze through the window to see first hand, at what was happening. Seth still didn't fight, that was until Paul was fed up with him and went wolf boy on him. I had to cover my ears from the awful sounds they made. The barking, growling, crunching, it was all stupid.

Staring out after them, I got to thinking. Was imprinting a bond shared by both of the partners? Were Paul and I mutually exclusive? We hadn't vowed to only see each other, we weren't even dating. I was the imprint, but in a sense, I really wasn't. I didn't act like it, he didn't act like it, but yet we both were aware of the fact we shared some sort of connection on every level and we knew we belonged together.

My legs came out of their stiff position and I walked outside next to Sam, who was watching out after them with disapproving frown. His arm shot out in front of me, but he didn't look at me.

The Paul wolf looked over at me and for a brief second our eyes connected, his dark eyes, covered with a haze of hate and anger burned into mine. I realized for that second I was afraid. I had never been afraid and yet seeing Paul like this, I felt a fear unimaginable. My eyes shifted to the ground and I heard the sounds of gasps and a choking sound, who would make such a noise? It was then I noted I was the one making those noises, everything was suffocating me, and it was then I knew I had to solve the equation or else deal with the outcome of an uneven answer.

Blood pounded in my ears and I could barely make out what Sam said, I think he asked Quil to take me inside, but I was long gone.

Everything had caught up to me, I was being smited, and I deserved to have everything taken away from me.

--

I woke up enfolded in scratchy sheets, the same ones from the guest room. I was still here. I crawled out of the bed and dug through my bag and retrieved my phone. It's a little after three in the morning, perfect.

Steadily, with my bag in hand, I made my way to the door and peeked out. Darkness surrounded me, the best protection I could ask for, as I stalked toward the front door. No one was up, no one was here to witness my leaving, there would be no awkward goodbyes, there would be no 'glad you came, hope you come back soon' speeches, and there would be no confrontation between the human and wolves. And that made the topping of the cake.

I quietly unlocked the door and the cool air rushed at my legs, making me shiver as I made my way to my lone Jeep. How no one suspects anything from them, I have no clue. They never use their vehicles unless they absolutely have to, but I guess people think they just work out or over-dose on steroids. I would assume the latter.

As I made my soundless escape, I couldn't help but feel victorious, however minuet it was, it made me feel good, not great, but good.


	16. Moms secret

That morning I waited all day long for my mom to return home. I did everything and anything to keep me occupied. I baked, cleaned, and I even gave Sassy a flea bath. In the end, all my bags were packed, over stuffed with my new clothing, and my keys were sitting in my hands as I jumped around impatiently, snacking on cookies.

I was on a mission to leave La Push as quickly as possible. Mom wasn't making it any easier, working every day and every night, but I vowed I wouldn't leave here without giving her a proper goodbye, she deserves it. No, she might never be home, she might never have time to be the mom, but it didn't make me not love her. I've already readied myself for the huge guilt trip that's sure to come and the intense begging, that will soon follow.

It wasn't until around eleven that night when she finally showed up. Bags were under her dark eyes, and she looked over worked. I almost felt horrible for doing this to her, _almost_.

"Hey, baby, I thought you would be with your friends." She hadn't even really looked at me, she was flitting around the fridge looking for food.

"No, we kind of had a falling out." I shifted nervously from foot to foot as she glanced my way. "I have to tell you something."

Instantly she perked, taking in the packed bags on the side of the kitchen and my face. "Evie, what's going on?" Her motherly instincts were taking over.

I spilled. "Mom I can't stay here anymore. Really, it's awful and I've messed everything up." I paused and held up my hand when she was about to reply. "I wanted to say that I'm going back to Alabama and I'm going to live with dad, but I'll come and visit you." I moved to give her a hug and be on my way before the storm came, but she was the one that held me back when I reached her.

"Moving back in with dad?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" I said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sit down. I have to tell you why I brought you here." Her thin hands ran through her hair nervously. "I can't keep it from you any longer."

"Does this have anything to do with the big secret you've been hiding?" My interest was piqued and I sat down, readying myself for what was to come.

"Yes. Now, where do I begin?" She paused looking for the right beginning. "Hm…let's go back to where it all started, back when I was twenty-two." I groaned. "Now, now, this is an important part of the story."

She took a steady breath and I leaned back some, getting in a comfortable position. "Like I said, I was twenty-two, fresh out of college, and working as a waitress in a small coffee shop. Back then, I was beautiful, conceded, invincible, and a guy magnet. I thought nothing in this world could harm me. Guys wanted me, they always wanted me. I never went too far with them; I never did, only once. Oh, I was such a foolish girl, so foolish and lacking common sense. I'm glad you didn't become like me. You've always had a strong head on your shoulders and you're constantly surprising me with your wisdom…" Mom choked up some and smiled fondly at me before continuing.

"Anyway, I was waiting for the perfect guy, the cream of the crop you could say. I knew exactly who that was. He wasn't just any guy, he was _the_ guy, the guy every girl wanted to sink her nails into, he was the guy that had every girl after him, and he was the guy who liked his women. One night, I had gotten wind that his friends were throwing a little party. And I went there just so I could see him; I wanted him more than I had anyone. I had made up my mind that he would be the person I would give myself too. The fact that he didn't treat women well, and were with them nightly weren't a factor with me.

"I wanted to be on his list of tally marks, no, I wanted him to forget everyone and only think of me. I was so naïve. That night, we ended up in bed together, I got my wish, but the next morning he was gone, I didn't hear from him, no one did. He disappeared just as fast as he had come." She sighed longingly. "Some say he joined a gang, other's say he died…

"Eight weeks later, I was in Portland, that's where I met your dad for the very first time. He was in small book store, that I just happened to be in at the time. Ooh, he was so handsome, his dark hair framed his eye's, his strong jaw stood out calling to me, and he that most perfect body I had ever seen. I figured a man like that had to be married, but I had caught his eye as well. We ended up talking, well he started the conversation saying something about the book in my hands at the moment, we hit it off right from the get go, and we went on several dates after that…

"I had been dating your dad for about two months when I found out I was pregnant. How could I have not noticed that back then? Your dad and I, we took everything slow, we hadn't even been in bed together by that point, we wanted things to happen naturally, and let everything build between us. I was so afraid of what he would say, that he would regret me and walk away without so much as a turn of his perfect face. When he found out I was pregnant, he was overly accepting, more than I deserved him to be, we were married right away, and a few months later you were brought into this world. My sunshine, my happiness, the best thing in my world, I looked at you for strength, but you never really needed me. You were so quiet at times, it's like you were plotting things, figuring out the meaning of life, answering some unknown call, and it made me proud, you still do, your old ways are still with you.

"Your dad acted as your dad, he made sure everything you ever needed was within your grasp. He wanted you to think he was your father, he knew I would tell you eventually, but he secretly wished I would prolong everything." She sighed and brought her hands to her face. "And here we are today."

I blinked the haze away from my eyes as I stared at her. Her confession rocketed through me. So, my dad wasn't my _dad_? What? "Mom, do you think this will keep me from him? He's been there for me my whole life, just because he's not my biological father doesn't mean I'm going to stop treating like one." I clenched my teeth together, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Honey, you have every right to be mad, I'm sorry, but I'm not finished."

"The reason we're here in this dreadful place, right?" I had a little right to be bitter, I just found out my dad isn't my real father, how depressing. Anyone would be if they knew their favorite parent wasn't really apart of them.

"I'm assuming you know Sam Uley, do you not?" I nodded silently as the gears in my head started to turn. Her reaction that night to the name Sam, and her automatically putting 'Uley' on the end of it. "Do you know anything about him?"

"Yea, I know a lot."

"Tell me." She pushed.

"Stop beating around the bush." I accused, frustrated that I had been lied to.

"You're right, sorry. Sam, his father Joshua Uley, he wasn't the most faithful of men." She laughed darkly and an edge was in her voice.

My jaw was slack, I knew it most being hanging off it's hinges right now. "Wait…Sam- Sam Uley is my half-brother?" I asked through chattering teeth.

"Yes." Her body leaned toward me, as if she were about to say something vital. "You know the Quileute legends, I've told them to you before. You're reason for being here is in the legends."

_Click_.

"You're saying that Joshua Uley is my father, that Sam Uley is my brother, and that I am- I am a freakin' werewolf?" I screamed.

Mom only nodded, taking the full blow of my anger with an apologetic look.

"You knew and yet you brought me here for me to change? Why couldn't I stay in Alabama and stay human? We didn't have to come here. Does Sam know I'm his sister?" The questions kept pouring themselves out, non stop, but she held up one finger.

"First off, you were already showing signs in Alabama; the transition will be much easier here. And Sam doesn't know; only Sue knows." All the secret phone talking suddenly made sense, that one call I had witnessed between Sue and herself took on a whole new meaning.

"What signs were I showing?" I asked angrily.

"Evie, honey, you were constantly getting upset, you had a short fuse with everyone around you, even with your friends. I thought it would be best."

"I'm a naturally temperamental person, _mother_." I spat. "Did you ever happen think that maybe that is my nature? I've always had a short fuse, maybe you just didn't notice because you worked all the time."

"Look at you baby, you're taller by a good five inches now. That alone has happened in the last month." Her eye's were pleading with me to grasp what she was saying.

"No thanks to you." I muttered under my breath. "Wait, how did you know the legends were real?" I asked as if it had just dawned on me, and it had.

Her eyes crinkled and the crow's feet shown at the edges, "That's my little secret."

I sunk lower in the chair, absorbing the information my mom just bombed on me. Is this Twilights cruel way of saying I shouldn't have come here, so it's going to ridicule me? It's not like I haven't thought about becoming a werewolf, it always sounded awesome, but feeling it first hand, that I could possibly, no, that I _am_, turning into a wolf, it's scary. I could easily kill someone close to me, my temper will be horrible, and I won't be just Evie. I'll be Evie, the temperamentally and emotionally unstable werewolf. Great, just great. And I thought Paul was bad.

"So, I'm turning into a gigantic mythical creature." I said nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner honey, but you're taking this kinda well." I could feel her gaze on my face, trying to decipher the expression on it.

"No, I actually I want to run far away." The chair shrieked as I slid it back and stood up. "Nothing is going to be the same after this. Can I spend a week at dads then?" I saw her about to argue with me. "Just to mull things over and spend what little human time I have left with my friends? I doubt I'll see them much afterwards."

"Honey, we just moved here." I used my puppy eyes on her filling them with tears, and pouting my mouth out. "Huh, fine, you better be back by Saturday. I'll arrange for you to fly back tomorrow."

"Thanks mom." I pecked her cheek, my temper fizzling out.

"Anytime." She seemed to study my appearance for the first time in awhile. "Your hair is shorter. It suits you."

"Emily cut it for me." An idea hit me. "Mom, I'm going to tell Sam tomorrow before I leave."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"He needs to know, he _is_ my brother after all. Who wouldn't want to know that they would be receiving a new pack member?"

"I see, well, you'll need to make it fast." I could tell she wasn't pleased with me telling Sam, but honestly, what did she expect me to do?

"Yes, ma'am."

I wasn't permanently staying in Alabama, but I would take a week if that's all I could get. Life was going to be different from now on, but just how different? If and when I change, would the pack accept me? Would they hate me?

The most important part? What would Seth and Paul think?

* * *

**June 9th**

Today was the day I would go to Sam and today was the day I returned to Alabama, I guess you could as my last time being human. Maybe this what Bella felt like, only in a different way, she chose to be a vampire, it's not like I had a choice in turning into a werewolf. I didn't bother changing out of my night shorts and tank, the only thing I added were my running shoes. Maybe seven in the morning is a little early, but I hadn't slept a wink. The thought that me, little Evie, had a place in the Twilight world as not only an imprint, but as a werewolf, was mind boggling.

I ran all the way to Sam and Emily's. Bile was steadily creeping up on me, but I forced it back. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be going back there, I should have just called him, but he would have brought the pack. In truth, I didn't want the rest of the pack to know, Sam could keep the secret safe for awhile or at least I hope he can. Serious Sam was my brother; did that make me like a Gamma or something? I snorted as I ran, as if.

Would he treat me differently? How would he react? Would he blow up and turn wolf on me?

The house came into view and I paced myself into a slow jog, prolonging the inevitable moment where my world would surely become paper and with the next rain, it would be ruined. I took the stairs two at a time, I could hear chatter inside, figures, I just had to come at breakfast time and they just had to be awake.

Timidly, I knocked on the door, praying that it wouldn't be Paul or Seth, I wouldn't have words around them. Quil appeared at the door, not looking very pleased with my presence. He didn't even open the screen door, he waited for my response.

"I need to speak with Sam."

He let out a snort. They all hated me; I just knew it. It wasn't as if Quil had liked me in the first place, but I guess this gave him a whole new reason to hate me. "He's busy."

I took a deep breath. "What's he doing?"

"Having a breakfast with _his_ pack." He said while narrowing his eyes at me.

They all were here then. "Afterwards?" Keep it cool, Evie, keep it cool.

"Busy." Quil sneered.

That did it. "Listen here, _Quil_. I need to speak to Sam whether you and your little friends like it or not. If you don't? Piss off. It's none of your damned business anyway." I was beyond pissed and I had raised my voice slightly. "Now, you can march back in there and tell him that I politely asked if I could speak with him in private. If you won't, then I'll let myself in and tell him myself."

The inside of the house was quiet now. Quil was absolutely still and then he slammed the door in my face.

For the next fifteen minutes, I paced in front of the Uley house. This was step one in learning patience, but I was on a time schedule. I still hadn't thought of what I was going to say to him, it would probably be best if I broke it as easily as possible. But how do you do that without setting off a werewolf time bomb? How do you up and tell someone that? 'Hey there, you're my long lost brother, and my mother just happened to get pregnant by your dad. Small world, huh?' I doubt it would be that easy.

My head snapped up and focused on the banging front door. Sam emerged, a blank look upon his face. I could see nosey werewolves peaking from the curtains; no doubt, if we stayed here they would listen to everything that was said.

"What's this about?" Sam was right beside me, his long legs gracefully carrying him toward me.

"They will hear us." I stated.

Sam started to walk away and I had to jog to keep up, soon we were on the beach and he planted his feet firmly in the ground waiting for me to begin. What is it with werewolves and their inability to talk? They only talk when something directly involves them, if not they wait and put on a good show.

"All right. I know you hate me, I know the whole pack hates me, but there is something I need to tell you in confidence. Can you give me that?"

He glanced warily at me, probably wondering what I could possibly be hiding. "Fine."

"Good." I sucked in a breath, trying to find the right words. "I learned something last night, something that I can't go through on my own." I paused and took a side glance at his expression. Perfectly confused. "I need your help."

"Evelyn, what are you getting at?" He turned me toward him so I could see him head on. "Help with what?"

"My mom, she told me something _important_ last night, after I declared I was returning to Alabama." I squeezed my eyes closed. _Just say it._ "I carry the werewolf gene."

"That's not possible. Your mother is only part Quileute." I peeked open my eyes and focused in his head going from side to side. "It's not possible. You're wrong."

"I'm not wrong." Here goes nothing. "Joshua Uley is my father."

I hit a nerve. He took a step back; it was as if I punched him right in the gut. Sam's frame was shaking and his eye's were clamped down.

"Don't tell the others, I don't want them to know yet." I whispered.

"Good ole dad." He mocked bitterly, his serene mask returned and he stopped his convulsions. "That makes you my half-sister." He mused, while prying his eyes open to look me over.

"You're the only person I could tell. Paul-" I stopped and took an unsteady breath. "You're the Alpha, you needed to know, and I'm going to need help."

"Of course." Sam's forehead crinkled. "About Paul. I have only heard what he shouts very loudly in my head. Care to explain?"

I sighed. "I know that I'm Paul's imprint, I perfectly understand it, but it's not like he's doing such a hot job either. He's been a blatant asshole, at times, and I've been a blissfully ignorant bitch." I mashed my hands together. "But you're asking about the other night. Is it wrong of me to have feelings for Seth?"

This wasn't his area of expertise, but I figured he was trying to live up to the role as 'big brother'. "No, not at all. But you do realize that once you phase, you'll imprint on Paul as well, right? Is that fair to Seth?"

I hadn't thought of that, not at all. Wonderful, imprinting. The joys of being a werewolf. "No, I like Paul, but with Seth, it's different, it's like. God, I dunno." I threw my hands up in the air, signaling my frustration.

"Young love." He said suddenly, which instantly reminded me of Leah. I can only imagine the pain he had to go through. And now I, his younger sister, was going through the same thing with her brother. "It's better to end it now, than to wait." He paused. "One day you'll see that you're searching for some exactly like Paul."

I groaned and decided to shift everything just a bit. "How did last night go?"

"Ah, you mean after you took a dive? It took them a good hour to have their fill of one another. They were tearing each other up and shouting about who knew more about you and who was right for you." He steadied his hand on my shoulder. "Paul's disappointed that you kissed him back, but he's even angrier with himself for not making his feelings clearer. That reminds me, I need to have a _talk_ with him."

My mouth hung open, "He hasn't even done anything yet."

That was the magic word, "_Yet_ is exactly right."

"Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far? I bet you haven't set rules for Jared with Kim." I pouted.

A great big smirk was on his face, "Who's my little sister though? I do _not_ want to know anything going on between you two."

I flushed. Paul was thinking intimately about me? _Lordy_. I changed the subject; this wasn't a conversation I wanted to have with my newly discovered brother. "So, you're not mad that I'm you're half-sister?"

"It's a change." He grimaced. Sam also had a prospective brother, Embry. Poor Sam. That made him mine too. I always did like Embry. "How about you? It must be horrible finding out that your brother is a werewolf." An open friendly smile was on Sam's face, I had never seen this side of him. What a change. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having Sam as a brother after all.

"Oh not at all." I mocked, playing along. "I have slightly higher worries on my mind."

Sam's smile suddenly dropped and his face went stoic. At first, I thought that I had something wrong, but the light foot steps coming from the woods instantly alerted me, my hearing was getting better. Sam and I could not look chummy.

A slight fog was hovering at the entrance of the woods, four impossibly huge bodies stalked out, each with matching facial expressions. I went through the line of wolves coming toward us: Embry, Jacob, Jared, and lastly Paul. It was shocking to see his face consumed with such hate, but the images from the night before flitted into my head. His wolf form snarling menacingly at me, his eyes full of pain and anger toward me.

I recoiled backwards a step, that same fear enveloping me. The wolves watched my moves, their eyes traveling to my stumbling legs. I just have to empty my face of everything, and that's what I did, I tried to match my face with Sam's. Which was not an easy feat.

Jacob was the first to speak, completely ignoring my presence. I suddenly felt like Bella, when she first saw him after his change. I was used to Jacob the friendly, timid at times, but goodhearted werewolf. Now he was hateful, and even angry with the thought of sharing the same air with me. Did I deserve that? Sure, I deserved the stares, but to be resented by _everyone_ was a little much. "Sam, Collin discovered a trail about a mile and a half northeast from here."

I stopped listening; instead, I looked at the pebbles at my feet. The blue and grey stones littered the beach, but gave it a dramatic effect; I liked it, even though my feet didn't. Eyes were boring into my downcast head, I peeked up, thinking that maybe it was Paul, but Paul was staring at his feet in deep concentration. I switched over to the next wolf until I saw Embry. His eyes were full of remorse and he held an apologetic frown. Maybe I wasn't hated by everyone after all. I was reminded of my first few days here, they way everyone seemed to dislike me just because I was Seth's friend. Seth…

"Evelyn?"

"Huh?" I blinked coming out of my daze and stared at Sam, the wolf who had spoke.

His chest fell and he started again, "I said, we'll continue talking later."

"Oh, okay, that's fine. Thank you for speaking with me." I played the nice card, maybe it was a bit much, but I saw the tinniest grin form on Sam's face.

"No problem." He paused and I saw his eye's flicker to Paul and back to me. "Go home, there's a leech near by. And be careful." He stressed the word careful. But what he had actually meant was, 'If you see a leech don't pick a fight with it.'

"Right." I replied, and saw Jacobs disbelieving look.

"I'll be over this afternoon to finish our conversation." He decided. Sam actually _wanted_ to talk to me, wow.

"Sorry, I won't be home." Short and simple, go me.

"Where are you going?" Sam pressed. He really was into this whole big brother thing.

There really was no way around it was there? "Alabama."

"What?!" Paul and Sam shouted at the same time.

"You're not moving back are you…?" Sam trailed off, obviously not wanting to inform the other's of what we had discussed.

I glanced over at Paul, the poor guy looked like he was about to go into shock. "I was." I said uncommitingly. "I'm only staying till Saturday."

"No, absolutely not." Paul yelled. I ignored his little outburst and kept my eye's trained on Sam.

"It's not a good idea." He started, worry lines breaking through his usual mask.

"Sam." I said softly, catching everyone off guard. If anything, I should be yelling at him, but a temper tantrum wouldn't get me anywhere. "I need this."

It was then he understood, he knew I needed to see my friends, to see my dad, to have everything sorted out before I changed. He silently nodded.

"She can't go by herself!" Paul was hysterical. "What if something happens? Sam you can't let her go."

I saw Sam's jaw flex, "What do you have in mind?"

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. Paul gave a smirk in my direction. "She has no business going anywhere by herself. It would be best if I went with her."

The urge to snort came on strong, instead of resisting; I went ahead and snapped back a reply. "Like that would happen."

This time it was Paul who ignored my outburst, he patiently waited for Sam's verdict. "No."

Score! A mini victory party went on in my head. Paul wasn't coming with me, thank you Sam!

Paul started to defend his argument much to the displeasure of Sam. I saw him swing his arm up and a watch glittered on his wrist. I grabbed his arm and pulled his hand down to my face, which stopped his movement completely.

"Oh shit! I've gotta go." I said as I studied his watch, why would a wolf need one? Especially one that was prone with dramatic fits? I pushed those thoughts away and I went running toward my home. "Bye!" I called over my shoulder and then stopped mid-step and grinned wickedly in Jared's direction. "Jared, remember we have a bet. I don't intend to lose."

That broke the ice with him and a gigantic smile appeared on his face. "Neither do I!" He shouted back.

I laughed and started back running.

Maybe I would be able to take Jared on after all.


	17. Return to Alabama

**Authors Note:** Yippee! I got 20 reviews, that's a record. I'm answering an important question(s) at the end of this chapter, even though I've already replied to the commenter, I thought everyone should know as well.

Sorry for the late chapter, my power went out, and then we started to have bad electrical storms, I even got electrocuted. Not fun.

Anywho, long chapter, over **8,500** words. Sorry for any mistakes at the end, I'm sick with some kind of flu.

Enjoy, and thank you for the reviews, alerts, favorites, and all. It means a lot. ;)

* * *

**June 9th**

The flight wasn't that bad, actually I slept through the whole thing due to my lack of sleep the night before. It was for the best, the flight attendants didn't need to call the medical team onboard.

I awoke just a few minutes before we were intended to land in Dannelly Field. Nostalgia swept over me. Montgomery had never looked so beautiful, the blue skies, streaks of orange hovering while the sun started to set, and the bustling city below reminded me why I did love being here. The downfall was the heat of June; I was bound to have a stroke. I already missed the coolness of La Push and soft misty spray, leaving your skin feeling dewy and fresh.

The plane started to descend and I gripped my seat for dear life, the plane slowly stopped and the passengers made their way out.

Dad was waiting for me with his arms out stretched. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Bug!" He bellowed, attracting the stares of others.

My speed picked up and I bounced into his awaiting arms. "It's good to see you daddy." I said into his shirt, inhaling the smell of peppermint and Copenhagen, some of my all time favorite smells.

"It's good to have you back, bug." Dad was tearing up, "My you've grown. Look at you!"

He pushed me back to take in my full height and I grinned sheepishly, "Yea, some things have changed."

"Your mom must have told you then?" Mom was right, dad looked sad, like I was going to reject him right on the spot.

"She did." I muttered while wrapping my arms back around him.

He ran a frustrated hand over his face, "Let's get your luggage."

--

Dads always talkative, he likes to ramble, and if anything catches his attention, he couldn't care less if he interrupts you. He hasn't changed a bit, maybe a few more worry lines, but he was still looking good. Mom was crazy for leaving him.

We were speeding down Northern Boulevard, with the AC on full blast, when he started to get antsy. I was curious as to what had his britches up in a twist.

"Dad, don't worry the po-po aren't after us." I joked.

"Sure." He grumbled. Where was my joking dad?

"Uh oh, what have you got up your sleeve?" I narrowed my eyes and turned away from scenery.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." He said with a sly smile. That's more like it.

"Sure you don't. I see you're up to something."

"Bug." He said sternly, never taking his eyes off the road, "I'm never not up to something."

I rolled my eyes. "I knew it!" I clapped my hands happily.

"You're so easy to please." He teased. "Now, don't tell anyone you're home."

What? "Why not?" I asked cautiously.

His face crinkled up and he suddenly looked much younger, "Because I've told everyone!"

Laughter broke through my confused façade and dad joined me. There was still something off, he wasn't acting totally normal. I knew for a fact he was hiding something. I could bet my bottom dollar on it.

"So, Evie how was La Push?" When it came to dad, he was great at changing the subject, but when he did, he was always curious. He wasn't asking just to be asking.

"It was-" I stumbled through words in my mind that best described my stay: horrible, barbaric, frustrating, eh, that's not all true. La Push was wonderful, beyond wonderful, so I settled on the one word to describe everything and everyone, "magical."

"Did my little bug break any hearts?" He asked, bellowing with laughter.

My blood ran cold; I wonder if this is what a vampire feels like. I stalled a moment and that tipped dad off, he stopped laughing all at once.

"Oh, gosh, sorry Evie." He amended his face turning plum.

"No, no, it's fine, really." This is not a trip for me to mope over _-them-_ I refuse to make this trip horrible, this is my last time here for awhile, and I plan to make the most of it, "Anyway, it was beautiful, dad. Rainy, but there was beauty everywhere I turned."

He was glad for the change in direction; he exhaled as if he were waiting for me to breakdown or something, "I didn't peg you as the rainy type."

"Well, you know how it goes." I said while shrugging.

"Indeed."

The conversation was sparse after that. I think he was too afraid to say anything that might make me go off, sorry to inform him, but I'm not changing anytime soon. Oh Lord, don't let me have jinxed myself.

Driving through town was like reliving a distant dream. Everything was just the same as I had left it. Absolutely nothing changed. Somehow, that made me feel sad. Everything had changed for me, everything in my life was spiraling out of control, and here I was coming back to something stable. It felt weird. Maybe it was the flare of the supernatural I missed and to have the feeling that nothing was an ordinary day.

My old house came into view, big and old, with rusty orange shutters and a porch swing. This was my castle, my playground, where no bad thing could get me; at least that's what I always told myself. Nothing was off limits anymore, not since Twilight became real. A blue convertible was stationed out front, gleaming with the falling sun. No one I knew drove anything like that; they liked their old Chevy trucks and tractors.

"Dad, whose car is _that_?" My voice was appalled.

There goes the fleeting, beating around the bush look. I glared at him, and he finally broke, "That's my girlfriends' car." Freakin' great, "She lives here." Double freakin' great.

I looked away from him and back to the house. A woman came running out, she reminded me of mom, but this woman wasn't nearly as gorgeous. I'm biased and this week going to be hell. I knew he wasn't over her. Now I was stuck in the middle of a nasty confused almost one-sided love story that could possibly rival the next apocalypse, _if_ that woman was to find out.

"Go easy, bug." So he could tell I was already planning on giving her the drill, "Don't you dare."

"Fine." I muttered and stepped out of the vehicle.

"Oh, babycakes! This is her? She's a keeper!" The woman extended her hand in my direction, "Molly." She was obviously faking a country accent as she batted her lashes at me. What's the possibility of her losing her fake lashes? Oh please, let there be a strong breeze and knock the globed things right off of her.

I cocked a brow and pressed my lips into thin line. I didn't need to give dad a reason to be mad at me. "Evelyn." I said, barely touching her hand and snatching it back just as quickly.

"Evie." Dad warned.

"I didn't say anything." I grumbled. Way to ruin the day.

I stumbled my way to the door I knew so well and opened it. Still the same. With my luggage bag slung over my shoulder, I moved toward the stairs, walking as fast as I could to the top and pushed open my old room's door.

A dozen memories flew past me, midnight talks, sneaking out, sleepovers, oh how I missed my room. My dressers were covered with dust, my window shut, which I immediately opened, and then I noticed my bed. On it was a tiny note, in horrible handwriting.

_Look in your closet._

My heart rate increased. Nothing bad was going to happen, it's just a surprise. Happy thoughts, Evie, think happy thoughts.

Turning the closet door knob, I opened it slowly, waiting for the killer to get me, and then it hit me. I was knocked onto the floor quicker than I had time to scream.

On top of me was my very best friend in the entire universe. Leann.

"You should have seen your face!" She laughed while rolling off of me and pulling me with her, "You're here, you're really here!" She screamed in my ear.

"If you don't let me go, I'm gonna not be here." I choked out.

"Way to damper my party mood." Lee let me go and we sat in an upright position, "Did you see that horrible woman your dad insists on dating?"

I grimaced. "_Molly_." Her name was like word vomit to me, I didn't like her at all, "Make my week heaven?" I pleaded.

"You're wish is my command." Something came into her eyes as she looked me over, "You've changed and you have a lot of 'splaning to do."

"Where do you want me to start?" I grinned. Truthfully, I didn't want to talk about it, but Leann would be the only person I would tell my secret to. She would get it, she always did.

"The hot guy in house that day would be a good place to begin."

"That was Embry, and he's more or less my brother."

Poor Lee looked confused, "You said Embry?" I could almost see the light bulb wanting to go off in her head.

"Yup, Embry."

"Embry…?" She gestured with her hands, "Last name Evie. Last name." She snapped her fingers at me.

I snickered, "Call."

"No father-freakin way." And there goes the light bulb. Ding-ding-ding, "Embry Call? The Embry Call?"

"Yea. The Embry Call."

"Does that mean…" She trailed off, barely able to hold her own excitement.

"Yes, werewolves exist."

It was then a happy dance party for her, I live in the middle of a mythical world, and I'm not this enthusiastic.

"So how did this happen? I mean, like, how did you find out?" Suddenly another light lit up in her head, "You mean Twilight is real, don't you?"

"Shush!" I commanded, sticking my hand over her mouth, "No one can know. You do realize that if word got out…"

"Right, right." Lee agreed swiftly.

I took a deep breath, "Here's how everything has went so far…"

That was the hard part. Explaining about how I met Seth, how we became fast friends, and how eventually I fell for him. She stayed quiet through everything, the imprinting with Paul, the vampire, the kiss, the fight, dad, finding out I'm a wolf, Sam, and coming here. Leann listened to everything and at the end; she pulled me into a hug.

"Big news huh?" I asked as we piled up into my bed and laid down.

"Not really, I always knew you were weird. That's why I choose you over everyone else."

"Thanks a lot." I said while pushing her.

"There's question that's burning a hole in my head. Did you sleep with Paul or Seth?"

My jaw dropped for the fortieth time in two days, "No, I did not sleep with Seth, nor did I sleep with Paul." Then my mouth made an 'o' shape.

"You didn't." She shook me, while grinning wildly.

"Technically, I didn't sleep with Paul, but we did sleep in the same bed. I wouldn't have, but he was so gosh darn warm." When did I become a fawning girl?

"Damn. Your own personal space heater."

"It's not like that." I defended.

"Isn't it?" She bit back, "Evie, don't tell me that you don't like him."

"All right, I don't like him." Something was scratching its way out, something that I desperately tried to wish away, but maybe it was time I acknowledged some of my own feelings, "The truth? Lee, I've never fallen so hard in my entire life and it's not just because of this imprinting thing, it's because, I do like him."

"Golly, I'm jealous."

Leann, jealous? "It's not like I'm in love with him."

"Aren't you?" She kept pushing everything back on me, "Sure, he's a violent, passive-aggressive werewolf, but Eve's, it's not like you have a choice of who you love and who you don't. You might not realize it, but even I can see with just the way you talk that you go deeper with him than what you claim. Sure, you kissed Seth, big freakin' deal. Love is complicated, and this is all new to you. You'll figure it out, no matter who you want to be with. Don't let what anyone else thinks about the situation affect how you feel. Imprint or not, love isn't forced, and love is certainly not decided."

A small smile crept onto my face. My best friend was seriously the best of them all. "Wow, when did you become full of wisdom?"

"It's been there," she shrugged, "I only use it times of need. So, how does it feel to be an imprint?"

I gaped at her, Lee was so calm with this, somehow I thought of her screaming to the world and declaring her love for Jacob, "The same, I mean there are times when it's like crazy, but I don't really feel like one."

"You know you'll imprint." She pointed out.

"I'm scared of that." I admitted, "I mean, it seems nice, but-"

"You want the choice." She interjected.

"Right." I sighed lightly and twirled my hair with my fingers.

"Now…what are you going to when you become a wolf person?"

I snorted, "I'll kick some ass, that's what." My smile broadened, "I have a bet with Jared. I think that may be the first thing I do, I'll beat the shit out of him." That did sound like a good idea; I wonder how Sam would feel about it. What was wolf punishment anyway? Sitting in the middle of the woods with your tail between your legs?

"You cuss like a sailor now." She accused.

"I learnt from the best." I tossed back.

"So, how is it that Twilight is real and why are you in it?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. It just happened."

"Weird."

"Weird." I agreed.

The next several hours were spent without the talk of mythical beings and without the thought that I had return home in less than a week. Instead, we focused on life, how our old friends were, if Lee had found any new love interest, things like that. Lee filled that need for girl talk, but just a few hours in and I was already missing being tossed around by the guys, seeing them stuff their faces, and I missed how everyone was so nice, like how it was before I messed things up.

"Evie!" I heard dad yell from down stairs, "Phone!"

"Phone?" I echoed, "Who would be calling?"

"A secret lover? We must go and see!" Shouted Lee at the top of her lungs.

We bolted down the stairs and snatched the phone of my dads' hand. Lee pressed her face against mine, "Hello?"

"Evelyn, yea, um, it's Paul."

My heart stopped. Paul was calling me? Lee mumbled an 'awe' and I shushed her, "Hi, Paul, what's up?" I tried to talk casually, but there was still that tension from kissing Seth, or at least I felt it. What was I supposed to sound like, how was I supposed to talk when I kissed a fellow pack member? No, when did I start caring what Paul thought?

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You just up and left, you didn't give me an explanation."

My temper flared slightly, "Am I supposed to give you an explanation?" Lee popped my arm, "Ow. Stop that." I whispered.

"Well, I would like for you to give me one." There he goes again with being all proper, "Is someone there with you?"

"Huh? Oh, just the crypt." That earned me a good wrestling match, "Stop it! I'm on the phone. Give me back my leg!" I screamed and started to run.

"Evelyn?" He sounded worried.

"Hold on one second." I sprinted into the nearest room, which was the bathroom and locked the door, thanks to my inhuman speed I got there way before Lee did, "Whew, now I can talk."

Silence.

"Paul?" Nothing, "Paul? Hello? I don't like to be left hanging." I growled.

The phone made no noise; the phone had been cut off.

"Take that!" Called Leann from the outside.

I kicked the tub and stalked out of the bathroom, "Did you really have to unplug the phone?" I asked rather perturbed.

"Yes, I really did."

"You do realize that he'll think something happened to me, and then he'll tell Sam, and then they'll head down here to protect me from the big bad phone unplugger." Her face was less of shock but more of like she knew that would be what would happen, "You little cheat. They cannot come down here."

"Why not?" She whined.

"If they come, they will make me go home, trust me they will make some crazy excuse. Do you want me to leave this early?" She shook her, resigned, "Plug the phone back up woman!"

As soon as she did, the phone started to ring, "Hello?"

"Finally! What happened? Are you okay?" I recognized Paul's voice immediately. Of course, it was going to be him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My friend thought it would be funny if she unplugged the phone." It was so much easier to talk to him on the phone rather than in person. So much easier.

"Oh." Never mind, he's not going to say anything, it's so much worse this way.

"Do you need anything?"

"No, not really."

"So you're calling just to be calling." I stated.

"Pretty much."

I sighed into the receiver, "Are you mad about the other day…?" Stupid Evie, why are you bringing this up?

Maybe it was just me, but I could sense Paul was getting agitated with just thinking about it, "No, I'm not mad at you, but argh, you're so difficult." Yup, definitely pushing his buttons.

"There you go again with saying I'm difficult. You're not much better." Temper, I've got to remember to control it.

"Right, of course, I'm so much worse." I heard him pause and he groaned, "Look, I didn't call to fight with you, like we do every time we see each other; I thought this would be easier. I thought we covered this already."

Suddenly I felt guilty; I had told him I was going to make some kind of effort. Did that apply anymore? Of course it did, it had to, "Right, right. Sorry."

He seemed to accept it and continued, "So, what have you been up to down there?"

I raised my eyebrows and then I remembered he couldn't see me. Lee gave me a look and I stuck my tongue out, "Nothing really, just gossiping." Talk about vague.

"Ah, well, that's good." He mumbled something I couldn't understand.

Lee began to speak to me, "You know, we should head to the lake tomorrow." She stalled for a moment when I looked at her dumbly, "You know, for fun, that little thing you did before you moved."

"You're up to something. I don't like it. Spill." I commanded, not caring about Paul at the moment.

"Ah, well, you know, Tay is throwing you a welcome home party, but you have got to act surprised when you see it. He wanted it to be, well, a surprise."

"Taylor?" I asked skeptically.

"Evelyn, what are you talking about?" I heard Paul mutter.

"Yea, I know you two had a spat, and haven't talked since April, but he wants to make it up to you. We've missed you. Please?"

I gave a defeated sigh, "I guess you're only going because of the beer?" I whispered.

"No, I'm going for you," She grabbed my arm, "But the other helps too." Liar, if it involves beer, or any alcoholic beverage she would go to any party, anywhere. I'm just her cover, not that I minded.

"Evelyn!" Paul roared, which made me jump into the air. Maybe I was a feline; I sure kept jumping like one.

"What is it?" Trying to act like I never said anything.

"Did I hear you correctly? Beer?" There was a loud commotion on his end; the guys were with him. Was I on speaker? Damn him.

"Beer?" I laughed lightly, "No, I said rear." Which caused sporadic giggles from Lee and I, even though it wasn't _that_ funny.

"I'm going for the rear?" Lee crowed, and slumped into the floor, "That's new!"

"Hey, Paul, I gotta go." I said between gasps of air.

"Evelyn don't do anything stupid." Then I heard something that sounded like 'she's always doing stupid things'.

"All right, sir. I'll make sure your command is met with great honor." I replied using a gruff, deep voice that sounded awful. I went back to normal, "No worries."

"That was the best you got?"

"That was _my_ best, as if you could do any better." Right, he could do it better; he is a male after all, "Never mind. Bye Paul."

"No-" I ended the call and pranced back to the kitchen where the phone originated.

Dad gave me a look and I shrugged. His little house sitter was beside him, smiling, and absent mindly stroking his hand. It was all so weird, seeing dad with someone besides my mom. This substitute was awful.

"Did I hear you were going to the lake tomorrow?" Dad asked, he wasn't the least bit fazed with the wiles of teenager, unless it came to crying and emotions. You can count him out.

"Yea, I'll probably stay the night." I ground out. It's not like I wanted to see Taylor, sure we had been great friends, but there was always that unspoken tension with him. It made me uncomfortable, but Tay was a nice guy- most of the time. Resolving an issue could do me good. Just like Bella did with Jessica, it's better to end with a good note than a bad one.

"Good. Take the little rat with you." He said gesturing to Lee as she walked in.

"Of course, I take my cute little rat everywhere I go." I cooed and pulled her into a hug while she pouted, "So you're not denying that you are a rat?"

"Both of you hurt me. Why do I even come here?" She asked, feigning sadness.

Dad stepped in, "Because of my charm and obvious good looks." He said while wiggling his eye brows.

I rolled my eyes, "You better stop that, or they'll fall off."

We bickered for awhile longer, about why eyebrows were important, the reasons behind their mystery, and my ever favorite, why do we like to wiggle them. One thing that didn't go unnoticed by me was _Molly's_ quietness. We weren't that weird, she should at least try to make an effort. Maybe I'm overly critical, but I have a right to be. Something struck me, something was odd about Molly, not as in mythical creature odd, but human odd. I don't like it.

Lee stayed over, mumbling something about not letting me out of her sight, as she crawled into my bed and sacked out. She was snoozing before I had a chance to put on my shorts. I settled in for a night of turning and major kicking from Leann.

* * *

**June 10th**

As predicated, my side was killing me from her elbow jabs during the night. Another lazy June day was upon me. The sun was shining, not a cloud in sight, but Alabama's weather was just about as unpredictable as La push's. From previous experience, I dressed in denim shorts and a tank, with my old red cowgirl boots, which were stowed away in my closet. What can I say? I'm a country bumpkin.

Lee was teeming with excitement. If she was a vampire, I would put her in the category of Alice. They would make excellent shopping partners. Her dark hair was spiraled in curls, pinned at odd angles on her head, making an intricate weave. Everything she had on was dressy, except for the boots she wore, but it fit nicely. I was the opposite, my hair was down and a little mousse was in it to give body and a slight scrunch, but I left my shorts and all on. If it really was my party, I should get the choice of my attire.

At five, we took my dad's old '82 red and white Chevy. The seats were torn from over use and it roared with the force of a lion, I smiled at the thought. Martin wasn't that far from where I lived. I was just happy to finally see another color besides green and grey. Lee chatted happily about what to expect and Taylor. His parents owned a house at the lake and we were using the barn in the back for the party. It's not that I don't like parties, I'm all for them when it involves cake, but when there are so many people, well claustrophobia sneaks up on me. Crowds are a no, no.

Cake…

"You know, if Taylor really wants to make it up to me, he should bake me a cake." I said while slapping the wheel with my hand in time with the music in the background.

"It's a good thing he knows you so well…" Lee trailed off.

"At least now I have something to look forward to."

"Whatever. You know you're gonna have fun."

"Sure, if that involves sticking needles in my eyes."

She scowled, "Are you always such a masochist?"

"Do you always have to say things that involve Twilight? I already have enough of that in my life."

"Are you done with your ranting?" She snapped.

"Never." I grinned at her and turned my attention back to the road. We were going over the Kowaliga Bridge and I slowed down. Little islands stuck out everywhere and the water was rippling from the boats passing underneath. The blue-green water was absolutely stunning and orange hues danced off it in swirls.

"Could you drive any slower?" Lee complained breaking my sight seeing, "We want to be there before next week."

"Yea, yea." I grumbled and sped back up, the truck knocking against the gaps in the bridge.

Woods surrounded us, an endless sea of green, and asphalt; most of the houses were right on the lake. Taylor's house was huge, and I mean huge. It was a classic house with a modern twist, light grey stone, with a large wooden porch wrapping around it. It was one of my favorites by far. I've spent enough time here to every room in the house and all the ways to sneak away and leave unnoticed.

Beat up trucks were everywhere, packing the drive way, and stationed beside trees. Even a few four-wheelers were around, hauling small trailers.

"I don't know this many people." I whined, a small smile enveloping my lips.

"Shush." She scolded as I parked in the garage, like I always did whenever I visited Taylor. His parents always had an extra spot open for me, next to their Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

As soon as we stepped out of the garage and into the surrounding woods, I felt something watching me. My eyes scanned the area, but I didn't see anything and the dimming light didn't help any. There was definitely something out there. The hairs on my neck stood as we plunged toward the big red barn. The barn doors were open and old 90's country music was playing.

When we entered, I was bombarded with 'heys', 'welcome back', and 'happy early birthday'. There was good amount of people here; it wasn't as bad as it could have been. People were situated on bales of hay or either dancing to the old music. Everyone was decked in boots, hats, and old clothes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Taylor strolling toward us. He was in old Levis, that had oil spots all over them, and a cowboy hat was on his head, which he immediately removed when he stood in front of me. His blue eyes lit up at the sight of me, and his messy brown hair fell amongst his neck.

"Hey." He replied shyly.

"Hey, Taylor." I gave him the once over and rolled my eyes.

He grinned and wrapped me up in a hug, "Sorry. Forgive me?"

"Forgiven." I agreed, "Where's my cake?" I asked while poking him.

"Later missy. You don't want everyone to eat it do you?"

That was one thing unacceptable. No one ate my cake, I at least had a fourth of it, "Right." Lee had taken off and was dancing with some guy and if I wasn't mistaken a Smirnoff was in her left hand. I knew it; she was only here for the alcohol, "Quite the party."

"Well, we missed you, and we know how you love parties and dancing."

"No way." My mouth turned upwards as I got excited, "Can we do it now? Please?" I begged.

"If you insist." He started toward the guy working the music machine and whispered into his ear.

"Listen up everyone. The girl of the evening declares that we do this jig now." The guy up front announced, whoops and hollers erupted. Heat burned into my cheeks, but my smile never faltered.

The lights dimmed and multi-colored rays flashed all around us. Lee was at my side in an instant and Taylor was on my other. Brooks & Dunn's 'Boot Scootin' Boogie' started to play and suddenly we were lost in a line dance. Rows and rows of us were dancing to the beat, and laughing. Knocking of boots sounded throughout the old barn as we stomped in time with the music leaving an echo.

"You know you haven't lost your touch." Complimented Lee from behind me as I turned, a drink in her hand.

I snorted, "As if you would let me."

Everyone was clapping, and getting our 'boot scoot' on, when I saw it. A tall head appearing above the crowd of line dancers, russet skin, and shaggy hair barely reaching his ears. A tall head which I would know from anywhere. _Embry._ Instantly my temper flared and I saw Lee throw me a questioning glance. Maybe it was accident. Maybe I was having withdrawal symptoms. He wasn't supposed to be here, Sam had said no, well no to Paul, so that meant no for all of them, right?

The song ended and switched over to 'Honky Tonk Badonkadonk' and the line thinned out; this was our song, our dance, and one where we made a total fool of ourselves and felt completely fine with it. I would dance in front of the whole world if this was the song being played.

"_It's so hard not to stare. At that honky tonk badonkadonk. Keepin' perfect rhythm  
Make ya wanna swing along. Got it goin' on, Like Donkey Kong  
And whoo-wee Shut my mouth, slap your grandma  
There outta be a law. Get the Sheriff on the phone  
Lord have mercy, how's she even get them britches on. That honky tonk badonkadonk"_

We were dancing like the fools we were, a mix between line dancing, the electric slide, and horrible attempts of trying to act sexy. Temporally, I forgot all about the head I saw, and concentrated on not making an even bigger fool of myself. A straight beam of light was us, for we were dancing in the middle of the floor. Catcalls sounded, and I stole a glance at Lee, who was past being tipsy. She was getting down on the floor to gone to really care what she was doing. I knew she liked to please a crowd.

Her hands came to my hips as we danced and I saw him again. Only he wasn't by himself. Paul was beside him, both staring at me from the barn door. I shot them glares, but there eyes were trained on my hips as they swung. I grumbled under my breath. Guys will be guys.

I felt Lee lean forward, "You need a drink." She giggled and pulled me away from Taylor.

There was no arguing with her as she thrust a Miller Lite into my hand, "Drink." She commanded.

I diligently began to sip it, the bitter taste wasn't appeasing, and it burnt my throat. I didn't chug it, I didn't need colorful macabre to be spilled from me. My eye's glanced around for Lee, she disappeared again. I swear, she has super speed or something. A hand slipped around mine and plucked the beer from it. I turned and smacked into a large bicep.

"Oww…" I groaned and looked up.

Paul was giving me a disappointed glare, but his features quickly turned to goo as I stared at him. Then I noticed Embry at his side, smiling happily. Was I the only one who saw anything wrong with this?

I stuck my fingers into their chiseled chests, "Why are ya'll here?" I said calmly, borrowing Sam's indifferent face.

"Business." Replied Embry.

"Business?" I scowled, "It required you to come to Alabama?" The calmness was slowly wearing away.

"Pack business." Interjected Paul.

That meant they were on a job? "All right, be gone with your business. Leave me." I commanded, as I tried to snatch my beer back, even though I didn't really want it, but no werewolf took from me.

"You're part of the business." Paul casually said as he handed the beer to Embry.

Sam. Suddenly I wished I was a werewolf. That I was able to growl and see the looks on their faces, a ferocious growl that would scare them, and let them know whose boss.

"What- what are you doing?" Embry had his hands on his stomach as he belted out laughter, the beer no where in sight.

Did I try to growl aloud? Great, now when I think I just happen to the same thing, "Shut it Call."

"You were trying to growl." He wiped his face, "It was like a lawn mower sound."

Paul was trying very hard not to laugh, his eyes sparkled with happiness, and then Lees words from earlier came to me. _You might not realize it, but even I can see with just the way you talk that you go deeper with him than what you claim. _Everything stopped as I reevaluated the situation. Surely, I could say the magic word and Paul would be there for me, everything I ever wanted. But I wanted the choice; afterwards, would I have the choice? When everything in my life came to the topsy turvy standstill, how would I feel then? I didn't even know anything about Paul, other than he was hot-headed, a werewolf, and utterly devoted to me no matter what my choice would be.

"Someone's thinking hard." Paul was eye level with me, so close I could feel his breath trickling across my exposed neck, "Whatcha thinking?"

That familiar blush stained my cheeks whenever he was this close and took a step back, "Nothing to important." Just what decides our future. No big deal.

"She's bullshitting you Paul." Embry had placed a hand on Paul's shoulder, "We should torture it out of her."

"Good idea." A smirk placed itself on his face.

They started to advance on me and I started to back up, taking long steps backwards, hoping that by some miracle I wouldn't trip on the nearest drunk person, "Is this right, guys? I mean come on, play nice." I stammered over my sentence.

Embry chuckled, "What's the fun in that?"

Thunder erupted. A loud pop resonated, causing the overhead lights to flicker and shut down. Moans were heard, I was one of them.

"Wonderful." I replied sarcastically.

In a matter of minutes, candles had been strategically placed and lit. A few flashlights danced around the room, and a soft murmur came about.

The light illuminated the two faces of the werewolves, dancing within their prominent features, and giving their eyes that hint of mysteriousness.

They stood protectively beside me, almost as if something was going to jump out right then and there and get me. That reminds me, "What's the other part of the business?"

"Huh…" Embry flicked his head toward Paul.

"See, you know that bloodsucker we were after?" Paul was whispering in my ear, tufts of warmth flying past my cheek. I nodded mutely, to caught up in the revelation that no matter what I did, he would always come back to me, "Don't be scared, we wouldn't let anything happen to you, but the thing was always coming in the area you were in. So, when it left right after you did, Sam got worried, and sent us to protect you."

Subtle, Sam, subtle. I avoided their gazes, and let the information sink in. The vampire was after me? Did my dream really mean something? It seems like I'm missing something vitally important, "So, it's after me?" I choked on the words and glanced at Paul from the corner of my eye.

"We _think_ so." He muttered.

"I don't like that ya'll are here." I said through gritted teeth, "This was supposed to be _my_ time."

"Sam's orders. It's for the best." Embry was rubbing a small circle on my arm, "You're mom thought it was a good idea too."

"Mom?" So that was how they got here, "Is dad in on this as well?"

They turned away, avoiding my knowing gaze.

"Great." I sunk into a bale of hay behind me and pulled my legs to my chest, "Just when I thought I was finally getting space." I said under my breath, causing both of their heads to snap in my direction, "Don't reply to that." I barked.

"Wasn't gonna." Embry sat beside me throwing an arm over me and giving my head a good rub, "We missed you for the time you were gone."

"Sure you did." I grimaced, the last time I saw them, we were under horrible conditions.

"I would never lie to you." He vowed, saluting me like someone from the army.

Paul, who was uncharacteristically quiet, spoke up, "I'm going for a run." And with that, he was off, leaving Embry and I alone.

"What's his problem?" I didn't bother to hide my frustration.

"Jake's been getting on his case." I cocked my head, urging him to continue, "About what happened at Sam and Emily's."

My formed an 'o' shape and I stared out into the crowd of people, some laying in the floor, passed out drunk, and others who dancing without the music.

"They've been butting heads ever since. It's kinda stressful for the rest of us." My heart broke, I was causing the pack unimaginable pain, causing them to divide, and argue with one another.

"Sorry." I leaned into Embry's side and sighed, "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

He looked taken aback, "Evie? Apologizing? What has the world come to?" He howled.

"You act like it's utterly impossible for me to be nice." I pouted.

"It is." He laughed, "Don't worry about it. Sam's putting the stop to it." He said, suddenly serious again.

"It doesn't make it okay." If anything, it made it worse.

Someone whistled loudly, calling everyone to look up front where a chair was positioned, and Taylor stood on top of it.

"All right, everyone. Since we're all bored to death, and the power ain't gonna be coming back on anytime soon. I was just a wondering if any of ya'll wanted to hear someone special sing for us?"

The all too familiar hooting sounded and a few people screamed.

"Majority wins. Now, if we can coax her up here." He paused, and I thought he looked in my direction. Oh God, "Evie, get you're cute little butt up here."

"No." I squeaked out, and pulled myself behind Embry, "Don't let them Embry. If you love me, you won't let them get me."

"Evelyn. Come on. Don't make me come down there and get you."

My cheeks flamed. I could think of about five things I could do to him right now that would make him shut up and cry like a little girl. Embry pulled me from behind him and gave me a gentle shove forward, "Thanks for your help." I hissed as he chuckled.

I was on death row, sentenced to a personal hell like no other. Was my embarrassment an amusement attraction now? It felt like it. Where was my clown makeup, shoes, and that little red nose ball? Shouldn't I get a prop? I stared at the thing in Tay's hands. A guitar. I put on a sour face as I neared him and snatched the thing out of his hands.

"You're gonna regret this." An empty threat and he knew it.

Why I was forced into doing this, I have no clue. I'm not even good at guitar, unless you count a few songs that I learnt, but I'm no pro and I don't pretend to be.

Gingerly, I sat myself up in the chair and prepared myself for the torture. The audience was waiting. Song, song, what song?

Mom's favorite.

My fingers began to strum lightly over the strings and I let the notes flow evenly.

"_Another day has almost come and gone. Can't imagine what else could wrong. Sometimes I'd like to hide away somewhere and lock the door. A single battle lost but not the war."_

I let my eyes close. The rain outside provided a distant drum, and the thunder was there to aid me in my attempt in sounding decent.

"_Tomorrow's another day. And I'm thirsty anyway. So bring on the rain."_

To my surprise another guitar tuned in with mine, creating a melody and harmony that brought a slight smile to my singing lips.

"_It's almost like the hard times circle 'round. A couple drops and they all start coming down. Yeah, I might feel defeated, and I might hang my head, I might be barely breathing - but I'm not dead"_

Taylor joined in. A duet. If I could have, I would have jumped up and down with joy with the thought of not having to do this by myself.

"_Tomorrow's another day. And I'm thirsty anyway. So bring on the rain._

_I'm not gonna let it get me down. I'm not gonna cry, And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight"_

The last few notes were strummed and I repeated the chorus one last time as I pried my eyes open. Couples were slow dancing in the middle of the floor, their arms woven over each other, smiles on their faces, as they held their lover close. In response, my eyes flickered over to where Embry was and Paul sat with him. That same look was on his face, the one from where I sang at his birthday. That look where I was the greatest thing in the world, that at any moment he was going to run to me and envelop me into his feverishly hot body.

A soft look crossed his face that could make even the most hardcore person melt. Wait, where were these thoughts coming from? The song ended and I stood quickly to make my exit. As I ran back to where the guys were people clapped and laughed at my anxiousness.

Again, I slipped behind Embry, and hid my face in between his shoulder blades, muffling my voice, "You're awful Embry."

"You were good though." He whined.

"Amazing." Paul agreed quickly.

I stayed silent. Embry was rambling on and on, that I should take up music when I go to college. How was I supposed to tell them, I couldn't go to college? That I was becoming part of the pack, and that my dreams for the future were being pushed to an abrupt stop? That if I went away I would miss them all too much? No, I couldn't say any of that yet.

My silence would have to remain until the day I phased. I cringed away from the word. Would I become burly like the guys? Have muscles rippling beneath my skin every time I moved? Ha, I doubt that, just look at Leah. Yes, Leah. She doesn't look masculine, just toned, like someone who worked out would. I can only hope that's what happens to me. I studied the wolves in front of me, their heads slightly drooping from the lack of sleep, their bulging muscles, and constant half-nakedness.

The blush crept up on me again. Wolves when they change, they're naked. Oh Lordy. I'll be naked. Everything exposed. Everyone will see. I will see everything.

"Evelyn, are you okay?" Paul asked, breaking through the images in my head. His hands were shaking my shoulders.

That's when I noticed my breath was coming out in short spurts. I took a few calming breath's, which didn't help. I had constant reminders right in front of me – reminding me of what's to come. I swung my body around, so I was facing the back of the hay, I didn't want to see. My hands quickly covered my eyes.

"Is she going shy on us now?" Embry stage whispered to Paul, "Come on, who _wouldn't_ want to look at this?"

I could just imagine Embry waving his hand up and down his body, flaunting it to the best of his ability. The images won't stop coming.

A slap sounded, Paul must have given him a good one. A faint murmur was coming from Paul, to low for me to hear.

They talked quietly for awhile longer, it was a soothing sound. Two deep rumbling voices, reminding me of a waterfall, of a sound I loved – I fell asleep peacefully.

--

Morning broke through, and the once down pouring sky was clear and free of any looming dangers. Someone was pulling on my hairs, playing with them, twisting them, and then setting them back straight. I looked up. My head was in Paul's lap, and he was smiling like the dope he is.

"Morning." I murmured, but I didn't move. It was too comfortable.

"Mhm." He grunted, turning his attention back to my hair.

I'm such a hypocrite, "Having fun?" I teased. Who was I kidding? I'm a girl. A girl, one who needs boy interaction, one who knows nothing, sue me.

"Yup." Both of his hands began to massage my head. I literally melted.

A fantasy popped into my head before I had time to stop it. A very bad one. Everything was tangible. The felling, his hands, my hands, the sheen sweat that would be on our bodies, and oh God.

I shot straight up, my breathing heavy, "Sorry." I breathed, and straightened up against the hay, trying to ignore Paul. It didn't work.

He must have guessed what I was thinking. Even with his dark skin, he was flushed and staring down at where my head had been, his chest rapidly falling, and I could swear he had a wild look in his eyes.

Just what I needed to add to the mix. Sexual frustration.

--

The rest of the week went by seamlessly.

Molly wasn't happy that two teenage guys were sleeping in the house, let alone my room, but dad said it was for the best. It caused them both to get into a vocal argument, and it caused Molly to storm out of the house into her little blue convertible. She was back before Friday rolled around, much to my disappointment.

The guys and I spent the days visiting the town, and just goofing off. Dad was more than happy. He kept giving Paul this funny look, not of disapproval, but of confirmation. I hadn't told anyone, except Lee, about the imprinting thing, and yet dad was always making conversation with Paul, giving him pats on the back, and giving never ending glances between the both of us. Even though I tried my hardest not to sit beside him, or look at him, or think of him, it didn't work that way. Dad was constantly sitting us together, and I think a few times he took a picture. It made me believe he did know about our little situation.

Since dad was at work most of the time, I was the one cooking. I was the Emily of the household. The guys seemed fine with it. And I didn't mind cooking for two and a half werewolves. Dad came home with an arm full of groceries every night, just to keep the fridge stocked with the never munching the wolves did.

I never heard anything else about the vampire. I wasn't even worried about the darn thing. It didn't stop Paul and Embry from patrolling around the house at night. I told them countless times to be careful, that people here carry guns with them anywhere they go. They wouldn't mind having trophy wolf on their mantle. All they did was laugh and were on their way. They didn't seem to mind being away from the pack, they called it a 'mini-vacation', but they were constantly complaining about hot it was here, and admiring the sun that they only get to see a handful of time per year. Crazy.

Saturday came to fast for me. I was enjoying myself more than ever. Paul and I had covered ground, but I still didn't talk to him as much as I could have. It was awkward, and those thoughts kept playing within my head.

Dad drove all three of us to Dannelly Field. He talked Paul into coming back when ever he had the time, which roughly translated into 'whenever she accepts you, you two will be back here in a jiffy'. It was probably my luck he was already planning out our wedding and what our kids would look like. I hate to break it to him, but that wasn't happening. Or at least from what I could see.

Of course, dad had tears in his eyes this time when I left. He kept blubbering to me, telling me to be safe, and not to do things on my own. Such a softie.

When we finally boarded, I was seated beside both Paul and Embry. They were bickering, like they always did, and I settled in for a long sleep to Seattle.

* * *

**Veggiegirl13 asked: **I'm a little confused. How old is Evie? I thought she said she would move back after graduation. Also if Paul's birthday is in June wouldn't they be in school?  
**Answer:** Evelyn is seventeen. She graduated around May 20th, that's when she moved to La Push. Now, since I do not know the Washington school schedule, I adapted it to Alabama's. Meaning, our schools get out in May, and don't go back till August. That way, Paul would be free to pursue Evie and not have to worry about school and what-not.

**To EdwardsFavouriteBella: **Yes, yes, I'll write a super-special Paul POV. :) I'll have to wait, cause I _think_ I have the perfect moment when I will. Or who knows, I might start spouting off little snips like what's going in the wolf pack or something. Hmm... ;)

**And to waterdemon9:** I hope you feel better, it sucks to be sick!

And thanks to everyone else, who stayed up reading, let their family see them squealing, who wanted to punch Evie(thank you for saying that irene0222, it made me lol), who said they liked/loved my story, who demanded I update, and to everyone who keeps giving me their unconditional support. Thank you.

Also, I do not own any of the songs in this chapter. :(


	18. The Kitchen War

Never again, will I ride in a plane with both Paul and Embry. Paul would casually brush his arm against mine, his leg against mine, and he continuously done so. Embry, on the other hand, kept sticking his feet on me, complaining about the small space he was confined to. Then he would make dive bomb noises while jostling my seat. Needless to say, I didn't sleep at all.

We were walking to the baggage claim and Embry kept repeating how awesome it was for the plane to come out of the sky. He was the biggest kid ever.

"Make it stop." I whined to Paul, plugging my ears in an attempt to keep my saneness, "He's been going on about the same thing for ten minutes."

"You heard the girl." Growled Paul, who was also agitated with Embry by the looks of it.

"Oh, you two are just jealous." He rambled, "Did you see Evie? She practically clawed my arms up when the plane descended."

"Embry…" My voice was low and I tried to sound menacing, but it didn't work. Embry kept going.

"Ha, you know what they say. She's a clawer, Paul." Embry winked at him and then nudged him in the ribs.

Kill me now. I noticed Paul didn't reply and kept his eyes cast downward. Wasn't anybody going to defend my virtue? Didn't anyone care that the sex jokes were focused all on me? Of course not.

Embry hooked an arm around Paul's neck, "Dude that must be eating you up. I feel for you man." His eyes strayed to mine, I was pretty sure I looked flushed, "If I were you-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence, a threateningly low voice sounded from right behind us, "You wouldn't be thinking those kind of thoughts. Would you, Call?"

I stumbled around, looking for the voices owner, but I already knew who it was. Sam. The only one to protect my virtue. Give that man a gold star.

Embry just grinned sheepishly as he turned, which as he did he straightened up and wiped all traces of playfulness off his face, "Oh no, sir." He replied angelically.

I snorted, "Bullshit." Sam shot me a glare, telling me to watch my mouth. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out like a five year old, "So, where's my mom?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Working." Was his only reply. His face was stone cold, it was hard to imagine that at times he could be open and have a smile on his face. To be human and not the commanding wolf leader.

"We'll meet you at the car." Paul spoke up, and met Sam's glare, which had been focused on Embry. He grunted in response and stalked off toward the main entrance.

Once out of hearing range, Embry whipped around toward me, "When he did get so protective over you?"

I just shrugged and claimed my bags, not giving a straight answer. What could I say? Oh, he's just my brother and I just happened to have the same werewolf gene. What a coincidence! Oh, and he's trying to protect me from the thoughts of teenage boys who don't use their brain, mainly Paul, but who cares. I'm your pack sister. What joy!

"You know, Paul. Sam's hiding something from us." Embry replied out of nowhere. Speak of the devil.

"I get that feeling too."

Oh, crap.

"It's not a feeling. Come on, it's like he's put up a great big old barrier. He never does that." His voice was impossibly low, "It's something big. He's even been phasing less."

My breathing hitched. I had to do something, "You know, it's not right for you to pry. I mean, come on, the man might have cancer or something."

"Cancer?" Skepticism covering Paul's voice, as he looked my face over.

Embry was so serious, "You think?" I nodded, "I thought we couldn't get sick or anything. Oh man, our Alpha is gonna die." His face was distraught as he thought the scenarios out in his head. His face became grim and he hung his head.

I turned my back on them, keeping the snickers to myself. Serves him right. That boy needs to learn some respect.

"Cancer wouldn't make it with our temperature. We were built to be immune." Stated Paul, matter-of-factly, "It's not cancer."

Smart boy. I pushed my legs ahead, as Embry was just about to retort. With my bags in tow, I was met with rain. Pestering needle like rain, making it almost impossible to see. Now, what did the Uley car look like?

On cue, a rusty red compact car pulled up, much too small to house three and a half werewolves. Sam jumped out and took my bags from me and motioned for me to get in the passenger seat. The AC was on.

"You've got to be kidding." I mumbled as Sam got in. My numb fingers fumbled on the rickety contraption that housed the heat, but eventually hot air blew out.

Sam looked like he wanted to say something, but the other two showed up and stuffed themselves in the back, Embry behind me and Paul behind Sam.

"It's an oven in here!" Complained Embry, sticking his fingers toward my warm heat, trying to turn it off.

"Don't you dare!" I said while popping his hands back.

"I dare." A playful smile was on his face as he launched himself over the small space between Sam and I.

"I highly suggest you back off." I snapped, "Unless you want to be known as the wolf with nubs for arms. Your choice."

Sam shot me a concerned look, half expecting me to go all wolf-girl on him I suspect. Heck, even I was waiting for the moment I would go barbaric on them.

"Someone's in a bad mood." Embry grumbled, propping his feet on my seat. His toes wiggled right beside my head.

"Are you intentionally trying to piss me off, Call?"

"Not at all." His tone was full of mockery and I had to swallow back the hot taste in my mouth.

_Don't get so worked up over this, it's nothing. It's just Embry being Embry. Remember that._ I chanted in my head several times before I settled back into my seat avoiding the nasty looking feet belongs to the wolf boy.

Someone's eyes were on me and I turned slightly to see Paul. His hair was damp, sticking to his face and stuck up in odd angles, a gigantic grin in place, almost begging for me to return it. I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes; smirking as his pools of brown turned pleading. I faced forward and hummed idly to myself in the silence.

Twice we had to stop for Embry and his so called 'weak bladder', making the four hour trip longer than necessary. Each time he came out with an armful of chips and Krispy Crème doughnuts, which was the only thing keeping me from complaining further. I stole a box for myself, much to his displeasure, but I ended up sharing it with Sam.

We were passing by Sequim when suddenly Embry spoke up, "Sam you don't have cancer do you?"

I burst into a fit of laughter, leaning down with my head between my knees. Spasms of pain hit my sides from laughing so hard, "Embry, you are so gullible." That was a trait both Paul and Embry shared.

"Told you." Paul muttered.

"What gave you that idea?" Sam's voice held amusement and his eyes flickered to the rearview mirror.

"Evie." I twisted in my seat and stared at him.

"I said 'might have', not 'did'. There's a difference." I patted his knee, "Besides, it's fun to pick on you."

"Oh?" His eyebrow shot up and he scooted forward in the non-existent space, "It's fun to pick on you too."

"Yea, but I don't say, 'my alpha's gonna die' and reenact a Titanic scene." I sighed dramatically and flung my arm across my face.

Before I had time to move, his fingers were on my sides, tickling the devil out of me. What was worse, Paul joined in. I squealed, trying to get out of their grip, but nothing worked. Embry held me down, while Paul took over, burying his hands into my sides, while Embry cheered him on.

"All three of you are going to be walking home if you don't shut up." Sam's piercing voice broke through my laughter and the cheers of the others. Utter silence, "Thank you."

I eased myself up, trying to keep a straight face, though; I couldn't possibly laugh at the alpha. His authority struck me like lightening. This was definitely gonna suck.

The rest of the ride was pure silence. It only broke when Sam started to prattle off pack stuff. I knew that I should be listening, I would need to know this stuff one day, but flanks, planks; who knew what in the world they were talking about? It sounded like someone was going to walk the plank, but that didn't seem to fit right. That was the wrong story. I was definitely sleep deprived.

The first stop was my house, and after saying my goodbyes, I ran straight to my room, not bothering to change or take off my shoes. I flopped down, pulling the covers around me twisting them until I was in a cocoon, not that I was going to burst out as a pretty butterfly or anything. No, I was going to turn into something not as friendly. A werewolf.

My eyes started to droop as the warmth seeped into my skin, and exhaustion quickly took me over.

--

Why was my butt vibrating? More specifically my pocket. Was this some new workout I conjured up? The butt jinglier. I was drug from unconsciousness when an annoying tinkling sound went off. My aggravating phone. Didn't people have the decency not to call me when I just got home from a flight? Can't they just send me emails like normal people? Or even a text would do…

I untwisted myself trying to get to my phone and pulled it to my ear.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"Finally. I thought you were dead." Piped a voice from the other end, "Ignoring me for two days was a little much. Don'tcha think?"

It finally registered who I was talking to. Leann, "What do you want?" I rolled over, burying my head in my stack of pillows. The faint smell of jasmine was present and a calming effect washed over me.

"Why did you lock me out of your house all week? Gosh, it's like you didn't want me there."

I snorted, "It wasn't for my benefit. It was for the guys. I couldn't let you have your way with them." Lee had been barricaded from entering my house while the wolves were there. With my luck, she would have revealed too much about what she knows, what we both know. That, I did not need. So for that week I had met her at her house or either at a local diner. It was so much better that way.

"But I would have been good." She whined in a bubbly voice, "It would be good for all four of us." Her wicked laugh made me pull the phone away several inches.

"That's exactly the reason I didn't allow you to see them." It struck me as odd, Embry and Lee shared the same sense of humor. They would get along well. I attract some strange people.

Faint whimpers came from the receiver, "Well then." A few seconds later, she continued on, "So what have you been doing for the past two days?"

"Two days?" I asked stupidly.

She repeated the phrase, growing annoyed. Had I really been sleeping for that long?

"Sle-"

Lee cut me off suddenly, "Oh I have to go! Bye Evie! Love you!"

The call ended.

"Thanks for talking to me." I growled into the receiver, "In fact, thank you for waking me up. Thank you for making me wake up the wrong way...Such a great friend…Hanging up on me, annoying me…."

I continued to waste my energy grumbling about nothing. It only got worse while I took my shower and the soap kept slipping out of my hands, which then ended up in a dozen pieces in the trash. If this was any indication for the rest of the day, I might as well crawl back under the covers and hide from the world and all its mythical creatures.

Unhappily, I stomped to the kitchen, I was ravished, and I was going to eat anything I could get my hands on. I wasn't surprised when I saw a werewolf sitting in my kitchen. It's something I've gotten used to. Not that it isn't annoying, but I've come to love them in a weird annoying way.

"Brady." I acknowledged, burying my head in the fridge, emerging with cold pizza. It was almost a whole one, cheese and pepperoni piled on top. My stomach roared in approval.

"Mhm." Brady grunted. My attention flickered to him. A gigantic white bowl was in front of him, filled to the rim with Coco Puffs. Instead of him eyeing his own food, he was eyeing _mine_.

Did I mention I wasn't in the mood to share? I slipped my fingers into the sturdy Zip-loc bag, not caring if it was cold or not, and poked a piece into my mouth; practically swallowing it whole, "You're not getting any." I grumbled while chewing on some more.

"Didn't say I wanted any." With that, he rammed his spoon into the cereal causing the excess milk to splash on his face. Someone was in a bad mood, glad I wasn't the only one.

"You've got a little something on your face." I motioned with my free hand and snorted attractively.

The next thing I knew I was covered in milk. Milk from Brady's cereal bowl. Yuck. I smiled innocently, and turned to the sink, grabbing the short hose that connected there, and sprayed him. He yelped and dove for me, struggling for dominance. I kicked open the fridge door and let go of the hose, just in time to grab the French's mustard.

Ten minutes later and the kitchen was painted in various colors of yellow, red, cream, and slices of pickles littered the floor and ceiling. It had a very Jackson Pollock feel to it, maybe even rivaling his work itself. Brady and I were lying right in the middle of it, laughing our butts off, when the person I wanted to see most walked in, along with my newly gained acquaintance. It was awkward to see them together, but it made me happy that they were fine again, and maybe a little apprehensive.

One look at me caused Seth to go into blundering fit of laughter. Did I look that ridiculous? I glanced at Brady. His short hair was striped with yellow, and his face was covered in milk and grits, giving him an almost sandpaper look. That was hilarious.

"Have fun?" Seth said between laughs.

Brady and I exchanged a look, an unspoken moment, which I could finally understand and hope for more in the future. If it hadn't been for the preexisting knowledge, I would have never seen it, not even with my developing werewolf powers. Brady, lightening quick, grabbed a hold of Seth's arm and pulled him into the floor. Seth had no time to react and was enveloped in the goo of the floor, curtsy of Brady and me. They both were situated beside me; Seth was sulking, and Brady was absolutely beaming with happiness, still scooping food from the floor onto Seth.

"Your next." I said seriously to Paul, who was backing up from our advances. Now knowing that he _would_ be next.

"I don't think so." He grinned a cheeky grin, his white teeth shined against his russet skin, and I was momentarily reminded of the moment at the barn. That moment, which was etched into everything, haunted me.

That stopped me. Of all times to be reminded, to think of that horrible day dream, to be swept up in the emotion. Why now?

Someone tapped my shoulder and I looked straight into the puppy dog eyes of Seth, "What's wrong?"

I blinked a few times the haze clearing from my eyes, "Nothing. Nothing." I said too quickly.

"We have a liar on our hands." Brady said from beside me, bringing himself into a sitting position.

"I've seen that face before." Seth put his two cents in, who looked pointedly at Paul who now hovering slightly over me.

Paul grunted his agreement.

I shyly looked over to Brady and he winked. It was my time to move, Brady grabbed Paul by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into the wet covered mush of a floor, while I rammed into Seth to escape the falling tower of Pisa.

Paul landed with an 'oomph', face first into the nasty floor. My whole body shook; I was sprawled over Seth who was also getting kick out of Paul. Brady reenacted the scene over again, with the sound affects and everything.

"You're all getting it." Paul grumbled, while muttering obscenities under his breath.

"You mean a good laugh?" I paused and looked him in the eye, getting a good view of Brady's handy work, "Yea, we are."

Paul grabbed Brady by the shoulders and started to wrestle him in the middle of the goopy muck. Brady didn't stand a chance, I knew that much. Not that I was rooting for Paul or anything, it was just the most logical choice. Right, just like betting me on me was the most illogical choice, but in the end was actually a good one? Wait, did this mean I was looking at logical and illogical choices with Seth and Paul? Of course. Any logical person would look at the most obvious choice, the one that would be there for them for forever, love them unconditionally, and not care if they wore a big brown bag as a dress, but I never claimed to be a logical person.

I got up from Seth's lap, which I had flung myself in, and looked at the two wrestling boys. By some miracle, they had not killed the small table in the kitchen.

"You know, Paul. Think of this as pay back for earlier in the car." I said sternly, ringing out my shirt in the sink.

"What did I do to you?" I glanced over my shoulder, Paul had Brady in a head lock sort of thing while sitting on him, "Oh, you mean with Embry." His laughter echoed in the small room.

"Yes, that's what I mean." I swiveled around, surveying the mess. Mom was going to kill me, "Ya'll have to help me clean this."

Each of them were upright in a jiffy. They looked between one another, obviously put off at the thought of cleaning.

"Aw, come on. Look at this room. I'll be grounded for the next millennium." Another round of looks between them occurred, "Please, guys. Please." I begged over and over again.

"You have to fulfill a condition for me." Spoke Brady, I nodded in encouragement, "I want cheesy rice."

"That's all?" I asked warily.

"Sure." He grinned mischievously, "For now."

"Okay." I agreed, "Any more demands?"

"I want a rematch." I glanced questionably at Seth. A rematch? With what? I bit down on my lip, "Perfect-"

I finished, "Dark." A smile worked itself onto my face, "You'll still lose. You haven't forgotten that I _rule_ at that game have you?"

"You sound awfully confident. I've got in some good practice, playing with Quil. I'll win this time." There was something telling me he had gotten better, that maybe he had been spending time to play that game, just to beat me. It made me feel almost giddy with excitement, he never forgot about me.

"You're on." We shook on it and I turned to Paul, awaiting the demand that was to come. I mean he had to have one, even if it was just small or something.

And then he said it. I would have to comply if I wanted his help.

"I want a date."


	19. Taking the Demands in Stride

Let us rewind and freeze, shall we?

Paul, the werewolf, the _imprinter_, just asked me, Evelyn, the soon-to-be werewolf, the _imprintie_, on date. Now, I would have thought that being turned down twice in the past was enough to make a guy give up. Boy was I wrong. And to think he just asked me out in front of Brady and Seth. Seth, the fellow pack member which I kissed, and that has feelings for me that I return. Was this a sort of payback?

Freakin wonderful. I could say no, turn him down for the third time. As they say, third times a charm. But did I have the cruel heart to do so? Was everything defined because I was the imprint and there is was something wrong with not going on a date with him? And here comes the logical part. It's logically correct for me to go on a date with him, it's perfectly fine for me to be with him, but where's the choice? A determined soul mate, decided before the sands of time. I don't like the concept. To me that's illogical and yet, at the same time, terribly romantic.

But I should do it. I mean, three and a half werewolves are better than two and a half, right? What's the harm.

Oh, right. The inevitable fantasies that my brain will conjure up. It personally seeks to betray me, to make the blood rush to my face, to make me feel a _need_. I thought I had at least one body part that was on my side. Again, I was wrong.

Even though part of me screamed, 'Hell no!' my mouth betrayed me as I came out of my shock, "Fine."

He went slack-jaw for a split second and then busted out a full smile, dimples finding their way despite the ever present scowl. I rolled my eyes at his sudden happiness, talk about the big bad wolf, but I couldn't help but give a smile back. It wasn't a great smile, it had potential though.

His arms swept around me and he spun me in a circle, "Really? You'll go on a date with me?" He whispered huskily in my ear.

My heart picked up double time, and I stuttered out my words, "Yea-yea. I will." He set me gently down on the floor and looked at me, really looked at me, like he has done so many times in the past. But there was something different about this look. Triumph, maybe? Or maybe he knew this would happen- that eventually I would at least get to know him.

Whatever it was, I secretly liked it. Never would I admit it aloud, because that would be giving in, and I'm not ready to go that far. But maybe it would be interesting, all this time and we've never more than looked at each other and driven each other mad. Was that normal? It seems like we should balance each other out, but instead we throw each other off. Or maybe that was me being a complete bitch and trying to stop what was coming to me. Or maybe, just maybe, we do happen to balance one another, just in a different undefined way.

I forced myself to look away and diverted my attention to the two other werewolves, who were silently staring at us. Enough of this date talk.

"All right. I agree to everyone's demands. Now, two of you want to clean the ceiling and fridge? Then one of ya'll can help me with the floor and counters?"

I already knew who would take the floor with me and who would take the ceiling. As predicted, Paul was at my side the moment the words were out of my mouth, leaving Brady and Seth to scrub the ceiling.

After finding the appropriate supplies, we got to work. Paul was right beside, a sponge was in his hand, and a deep look of concentration was on his face. Did it really take that much patience to clean a floor? Apparently it did. Knowing Paul, he was probably thinking of date scenarios. It had better not be anything generic, like dinner and a movie- stop it Evie. _Just stop thinking_.

I gasped.

Was I actually looking forward to this date?

Oh my God. I've gone completely mental. That's the only conclusion. With that, I started to scrub furiously, repeating that same phrase. _I've gone completely mental._

--

Three hours and one sponge fight later, the kitchen was clean. There was no trace of a food fight, except for the over-powering smell of pickle and mustard. Other than that, brand spanking new.

"Good work you guys. Now, get out of here." I shoved on Brady, hoping to budge him with some sort of werewolf power I might have gained. No such luck, it was still like pushing a brick wall. A brick wall that had layers up layers of rock hard abs.

"Food?" The way Brady said it was kind of like Scooby-Doo.

"We just got through cleaning. Plus, we stink." I motioned with my hands and scrunched up my nose. We did smell. And souring milk is never attractive.

"It's a wonderful aroma isn't it?!" Brady sang and pulled me into a hug.

"Help!" I begged, my hands covered my face, in an attempt to keep what pizza I had ate down. The smell was awful being this close, "Do you shower, Brady?"

He looked offended. Someone's arms pulled me away from him, "Yes, I do take baths." Brady hissed.

"Like once a week." Seth winked and nudged me in the ribs.

"Or year." Paul said from behind me. His were the hands that pulled me back.

"You're just jealous." Brady crossed his arms fashionably over his chest and strutted toward the door, "I'll see myself out." He called.

"Aw, I upset him." I kidded playfully, knowing that good and well he could still hear me.

"I heard that!" Brady shouted as the front door slammed.

Seth gave me a warm smile and wrapped me up in a bone-crushing hug; Paul was already muttering under his breath beside me, "You're going down."

I pulled back from him, "Whatever happened to showing mercy?"

"For you it doesn't count. Your freakishly good, remember?" He tipped my nose gently.

Half of my mouth pulled down, "Whatever." I mumbled.

He laughed good-naturedly and nodded toward Paul, "See ya later Evie!" He cheered and practically danced out of the room.

"That was interesting." I stated, stupefied, "I never knew he was ballerina."

Paul started to snicker beside me, "He certainly has that quality."

"He and Embry should perform Swan Lake." I paused, "I wonder if they make tutus in werewolf sizes?"

"I don't think it would be a pleasant sight." He grimaced, probably at the thought of seeing two males squeeze themselves into a tutu and prance around.

"Oh, but the ladies would get an eyeful." I laughed.

He scrunched his brows, and his eyes roamed my face. Did he think I wanted to see them naked? I found myself snorting at the idea, "You do that a lot."

I stopped and gazed at him, "Do what?"

"Laugh suddenly out of the blue." His teeth grazed his bottom lip, "I like it."

My heart picked up a bit, I'm pretty sure he could hear it, as I could see that tiny grin of satisfaction on his face, "Okay then." I said while shaking my head disapprovingly, as if I were scolding a dog. Oh the irony.

"Is that all you have to say? Are you at a loss for words? That would be a first." He smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

Loss for words my butt, "Get out." His head cocked to the side, "That means leave." I spaced each word out, which made me feel like an elementary school teacher.

"What? But-"

"No buts. Besides smelling like a hot dog overloaded with condiments is nasty." I looked down at my stained clothes and grimaced.

"I like hot dogs." He whined.

That's right. My thoughts traveled back to Eclipse, when Jacob took the last hot dog and practically taunted Paul. Really. Who gets mad because of a piece of wiener? I swallowed the oncoming chuckle, "Of course you do."

His cheeks pulled up and I assaulted with his blindingly bright smile. I knew who the hot dog in this conversation was, "About that date."

Internally, I groaned. My distraction hadn't been good enough. "What about it?" I said while putting on my poker face.

"Well, I was wondering," He paused looking nervous. His tongue slid over his lips as he tried to think of what to say, "What you would like to do? What would you not like to do? Things like that. Favorite foods. Colors." Paul rambled on.

All the questions sent my head spinning, "Whoa, hold your horses buddy." I held up my hand, "One at a time."

He took a deep breath, "All right. What would you _not_ like to do?"

"A movie. It's to simple. And teens do that everyday." I tapped my chin, satisfied with my answer.

"So, what would you like? Something that's completely out of the ordinary? A trip to the moon perhaps?"

I ignored his last question as he chuckled, "I want you, to just be you. There's got to be some kind of creative bone in your body."

"You're basically feeding me to the wolves here."

I grinned at his little expression, "And those wolves better not help you either." I said sternly.

A down right horrified look overtook him, "No help?"

"Well, no. I don't want someone elses knock off date idea." I averted my gaze. I hadn't meant to come off quite as harsh, but if Paul was taking me on a date, I wanted it to be his idea and not his friends.

"Okay." Silence filled the room. That was it? I lifted my head and saw him smirking, but it quickly faltered and a softer look came about him, "You just don't know how happy you make me." He whispered, almost to low for me to hear, but thanks to my super hearing it was quiet easy to pick it out.

I squeezed my eye's shut, "Don't you have some kind of wolf thing to do or something?"

He exhaled and his breath flew past me. I did not breathe in. "Right. Wolf thing." He replied sarcastically.

"Go howl at the moon." My southern accent slipped in as I scowled at him.

"Right. Now there's an original idea." His eye's were trained on my mouth.

I didn't miss that he took a step forward, "Will you stop saying 'right'?" I spoke while taking a step back, just to keep space between us.

"Now, why would I do that?" He rocked on the balls of his feet, "Right?"

"Right. Because you don't want to become annoyingly repetitive."

"Exactly." He had that same look in his eyes as he had before. Where, at any second, he would whisk me up and away. I didn't let myself ponder that idea.

"You just-" I scrunched my face up, "You just proved my point and not yours. This is confusing." I sighed frustrated, and ran a hand through my knotted hair, caked with who knows what.

"I have to get on your good grace list somehow." In a swift movement, I was against him. He was hugging onto me for dear life, as if at any moment I was going to turn into water and slip from his grasp.

"You're making me into Evie casserole." I squeaked.

He apologized profusely, looking me over to see if he had done any damage. Luckily, for him I'm not that breakable anymore. That suddenly made me extremely depressed. I wasn't normal. Was this how they all felt at some point or another?

"Hey." He said softly, rolling his hands over my own, "I'll see you later. It's my shift."

I smiled timidly and I was again unprepared for his sudden, innocent forehead kiss. He lingered there, longer than necessary and went on his way, only giving me a wistful last glance.

After my shower, I spent the rest of the afternoon and night making cheesy rice for Brady. I knew he would breathe fire down my neck if I didn't have it done.

The wrath of an unfed werewolf is to be feared, along with the dung beetle. Fearsome creatures. Always lounging around, ready for the unsuspecting person to put down their dinner roll. Buzzards seemed to suit the theme as well.

I rolled over in bed. Completely drained, but not to where my mind would shut off. What I wanted most was a good book. Unfortunately, for me, the only thing I brought with me was my Twilight collection. I couldn't just prance around in the open with it. Not with wolves creeping who knows where in my house. Did they actually read though? None of them looked the type, except maybe for Jared, but I doubt even he has picked up a book within the last couple of years.

Becoming a werewolf seems like sticky territory. My life would become all about vampires. All about the tribe. All about the pack. Where would my _me_ time come in? Where would my time with friends come in? Sam would obviously forbid me from talking to other people, wouldn't he? Would my own brother subject me to that? I believe so. But what friends did I have here? Absolutely none, in a sense.

But from what I've seen the pack members are content with being just that. They like the tight bond, a no holds secret relationship. They like being together. All are fine with the pack thing. With one major exception. Leah. Soon to become two. _Me_. I don't think I would be able to stop myself from talking to Leann. Not that I would have a choice. I would miss freedom terribly when the time came…

--

It was dark again. Endless darkness. Not even a fleck of light. Who could live in such a place?

"I could." Called a voice. The voice. _It's_ voice.

Cold white fear enveloped me. A shiver worked it's way down my spine, and my stomach twisted uncomfortably. Had he found me? Where was I? These thoughts spun a web in my mind, repeating to the point where my head pained me.

"Don't you recognize it?" A light flicked on. I was standing the middle of the living room. The living room of _my_ house. I turned looking for the owner of the voice. Nothing. Everything was the way it was supposed to be. But my eyes automatically fixed themselves on my moms' door. Oh _god_. Was she home? He would kill her.

A tinkering laugh echoed. "No. No. You've got it all wrong. I'm not going to hurt _her_." I could hear the smile in his voice, playing with me, it raised the hairs on my arms, "She'll wake up to find her daughter in the floor. Mangled beyond anything she has ever dreamed about. Oh, what fun this will be Evelyn!"

This was not a dream. My time was up.

My breathing became labored. He was going to torture me. My own _mother _was going to see me like that. Surely, there would be no way to tell who I was when he was finished. She wouldn't make it. This would kill her.

Again, his laughter broke through, "I could let you live, but what would be more fun?" He pondered. "Destroying you would be quite fun, but I think I'd rather see you wither in agony." Venom leaked into his overly cheerful voice.

My stomach lurched. The wolves would find me once I was dead. They would go after him. He would have no chance. My death would be revenged. I would not become a vampire.

"You think so little of me, _Evie_." His breath flitted across my skin, "Why do you think _they_ haven't caught me yet?"

His question echoed. Why hadn't they? Were they not concerned for La Push? For me? Hadn't they smelled him by now? This was their turf after all.

"You see." He started, "No one will be coming after me." His razor nails sliced through the skin on my cheek. I didn't scream. I didn't move. I let everything sink in. The wolves weren't coming after him. Meaning the wolves wouldn't revenge me. But why?

"Turn." He commanded.

As if on his will, my body twisted painfully in the direction of the front door. It was wide open. Nightfall was proclaimed easily enough. But off the glittering moonlight, I saw it.

Lumps. Tons of lumps. At first I couldn't figure out what it was. This wasn't usually at my door. A sense of unease fell on me.

The outside lamp flickered on.

They weren't just lumps.

It was the lifeless, crumpled bodies of the wolves.

"You have _no one_." He whispered.

And then his teeth sank into the soft skin of my neck…

--

Shudders shook my body as I jerked violently into a sitting position, screaming out in the sudden pain I felt. I ran my hands over my arms, chill bumps had risen, a sheen sweat coated me, and I could feel that my hair was stuck to me. The scream died out, as I continued to sob. A pain in my neck, even my spine hurt.

It had been so _real_. His eyes, Seth's eyes, had stared at me. Devoid of anything. His large arm had been swiveled into a pretzel and it had been obvious that the rest of his body was just the same. My sand colored wolf had been dead. Another loud groan passed through me. His large brown eyes, usually so happy, and mischievous, were dull. Never again were they to hold kindness, to pass over me with a gentle grace, his grin would be seen no more.

I relived the dream once more, to my dismay. Silver fur was also prominent. It had been all the wolves. They were all dead in my dream. Did that signify I had no hope?

I started to whimper. Never had I been this affected by a dream. This dream was worse than the first I had had weeks back.

My door busted open and I screamed once more, burying myself into my covers.

"God, Eve's what happened to you?" A familiar voice called. Weaving their arms into my nest of blankets and fished me out.

"Brady?" I asked hesitantly, lifting my eyes to his. I tucked my head into the pit of his arm, "They're gone. Ya'll were gone." I cried.

"Huh?" He asked questionably, "Gone?" He whispered, rubbing my back.

"Dead." I fingers dug into his arm, promising myself that they were still here. They weren't dead in this world. He was here. Meaning the rest were safe as well. Nothing had happened to them.

"You had a bad dream?"

"Nightmare." I said while pulling back to look him over for any injuries, "Nothing in this world could compare to it."

"It'll be all right." He cooed. It was weird for him to be all mother-hen-ish.

"Say's the person who didn't have the dream." I grumbled, my voice ragged from screaming.

He ran a tired hand over his face, "I thought something was wrong. You screamed. It sounded- sounded like something was…" He choked. Was the thought of losing me the same as my thought of losing them? I hoped so. Nothing should happen to them. They were loveable big dogs, with an overreaction problem.

I hugged onto him, suddenly wanting to forget about the horrible nightmare and make Brady into the happy, demanding werewolf he was, "Guess what?" I asked, trying to infuse some kind of happiness into my voice.

"What?" His voice was strangled. I didn't like it.

"I made your demand." I shoved off the bed, and tied my hair into a high ponytail. It didn't help that most of it fell out.

"Demand?" He perked.

"Five big bowls of it."

And then he laughed grasping what I was talking about.

--

The next two days went by like that. Almost the same dream every time plagued me in my sleep. Each time it would be a different wolf that stared into my direction. Each time I awoke with shudders and sobs. Each time I had to go through the pain of losing the ones I had come to care most for. In the most recent dream, Paul was featured.

So, I found myself sitting at my kitchen table, picking at the cereal in front of me. It was Friday, the twentieth. Brady had made a habit of stopping by in the mornings, and each time he would complain about my demonic cat and then go so far as to lock her in the bathroom during his stay. He made days so much better after my dreams. It was a foundation, concrete evidence that _they_ were still alive.

It had been an hour. He wasn't here yet.

The door bell rang.

It was unusual for him to use it. Brady liked to walk in as if he owned the place. It didn't bother me one bit when he did so, in fact, it made me laugh at his crazy antics.

Slowly I trudged to the door, and opened it.

That wasn't Brady.

"Hey!" Exclaimed Kim. She looked me over once and held back what looked like a grimace.

"Kim? Whatcha doing here?" I peered around her, thinking that maybe Brady was going to pop out at any moment. It was like him to have a theatrical entrance.

"You see," She trailed off, her voice a high and reedy, almost a trill. I looked at her face for the first time. It held mischief, and a certain excitement, "I'm kidnapping you."

* * *

**Hehe**.


	20. Just like a Fairy Tale

I blinked twice before I faintly understood. "What?"

She rolled her eyes, "Come on!" Her fingers gripped my arm and began pulling me down the drive to a small sedan.

"Huh? What are you doing?" I demanded coming out of my stupor. I let her pull me, though. It's not like I didn't want to get out of the house, it held so many unwanted memories.

"Shush!" She commanded, pushing me into the passenger seat of her car.

"What's this about?"

She plopped into the seat and made a bee-line to the Uley house, "A surprise."

I mouthed the words, "A surprise."

Kim was basically bouncing in her seat; this was something I had never seen from her. This wasn't a shy Kim, this was an over-excited Kim. At any moment, I was sure she was going to combust and bright confetti would fly everywhere, along with a big 'surprise' banner.

But there wasn't anything to surprise me on. Unless there was some other sort of mythical creature I was missing. Anything lower than that was not worth surprising. Unless there _was_ something? But what would be worth dragging me out of my house for? If I really was being kidnapped, shouldn't I be gagged, tied, and maybe thrown unconscious? I peeked at Kim from the corner of my eye. She definitely should _not_ be hired to do this in the future. The werewolf mafia _had_ to have better services.

When we pulled into the small drive, Emily's slender figure was pacing the front of the small walk way out front.

For some reason I felt the urge to run. I wasn't going to like whatever they had planned, at least that's what the pain in my chest told me.

"Finally!" Emily said exasperated. Her delicate hands went to swipe her hair away from her scarred cheek as she ushered us forward, "I thought you were never going to get back."

I saw Kim faintly blush, "She drives like a little old granny." I chided playfully.

"Do not!" She disagreed in a huff.

"We were just putting along. I don't think you even went over ten miles an hour." I laughed.

"It was twenty-five." Kim pouted, her hands digging into her pockets.

"You're here now. That's all that matters." Emily amended. Ever the sweet woman she is.

"Why am _I_ here?" I asked folding my arms and narrowing my eyes. My attempt was half-hearted, I didn't have it in me to be mean to her.

"No time for questions." Scolded Emily. She was giving me no hint on why I _was_ here and completely avoiding the answer.

For some unknown reason, I was forced to take shower in the Uley bathroom. They had handed me smell good things, vanilla shampoo, watermelon body scrub, and a few more items that I knew I wouldn't use normally, but did anyway. The shower was heavenly with all its smells from the bathing products and the pounding of the water against my stiff shoulders unraveled the knots there. I found myself staying a little longer than necessary.

When I stumbled out, wrapped tightly in a towel, my undergarments underneath, Emily steered me toward her room towards a big vanity, which had a swivel chair in front. Makeup was everywhere. Eye shadows of every color of the rainbow were lined in neat rows. Powders, lotions, and mascara were laid behind the shadow. It was all organized by type and there were even a few things I didn't recognize. That was never a good sign. Emily's stash of makeup had Leann's draw full beat by a mile. This was like department store, the only difference being that a department store like Wal-Mart didn't sit you in a chair and paint colors on your face.

I gulped, eyeing the tools in front of me, "What's going on?"

"We want to play dress up." Sung Kim, her eyes slightly fluttered.

"Couldn't you have used Embry then?" I half-whined.

Emily made a scoffing noise, "And make him dance to Swan Lake?"

"Paul told you about that?" Of course, he had. There were no secrets within the pack family.

"Don't worry about it. You know how Embry is."

"He humored everyone?" A grimace worked itself on my face. A dancing Embry was not what I wanted to see at the moment. "Ugh."

"No, no. He wanted to. Weirdly enough." Coughed Kim, covering up her distaste, "But I think he had other ideas than dancing to Swan Lake."

"Eww." I moaned. My eyes were slowly going to burn from the inside out if the day kept up like this.

"Let's get started!" Emily said excitedly, oblivious to my displeasure.

I saw Kim's reflection in the mirror turn on a small CD player. They were like me, music helped pass the time, it had a sort of calming effect. But it was surprising what started to play. I would have never pegged Kim for listening to La Bouche. Classical, maybe a bit of rock, but that's about it. Never ever had I expected trance.

"What is this?" I asked appalled, my hands placed themselves lightly in front of my ears.

"She got me hooked on it too." Emily whispered, shaking her head slightly back and forth, but a smile was on her face

"It's good. Especially when you want to dance." Kim replied, trying to demonstrate dancing while she grabbed at my hair.

"I'm going to be bald at the end of the day." I muttered as I imagined Kim losing her balance, only to grab a fist full of my hair as she went down. My head throbbed just with the thought of it.

Emily laughed at me and patted me on the arm and reassured me it would be fine.

As the beats went on, and I found myself slightly humming along, but keeping completely still. Emily was singing lowly to herself and her hips were swaying just a bit. Kim, on the other hand, was having too much fun. But I happened to love this side of her. She reminded me slightly of myself. But it was harder for her so act out, to be a rowdy girl she wanted to be, when the compulsive shy part of her screamed and made the decisions. If we actually hung out, I bet we could be great friends. I made a mental note to hang out with her one day, _if_ Jared would approve. Which was a big if.

After blow drying my hair half way, Emily had some sort of gel in her hands. She scrunched my hair up, and started to mold soft curls into my hair, twisting them and then pulling them slightly. She didn't let one hair get out of place as she slid in some kind of small clip. It wasn't fancy, but yet it held some formality. My hair could easily have passed for beach hair, but ten times better. I had to admit, my hair looked gorgeous, even being this short. If I ever had some kind of event to do, she would the first person I would call.

Kim was the one doing my makeup. That scared me a bit, at first. She could belt out songs and do makeup, at the same time. She was officially some kind of freak like the rest of us. A dark chocolaty liner was in her right hand which she smudged into the rims of my eyes like a pro. A shimmer of sand colored shadow went right above the brown warmth, in a faint line, bringing out the gold dots in my eyes. Another swipe of brown –more of a mocha color with a sheen- went below my eyes, creating a smoky effect. As she started to apply the mascara, I felt another brush on my cheeks.

I sighed as they turned me around, not letting me see what else, they were doing. I closed my eyes not really interested. I could still feel everything though. The brushes that swept along my cheeks and slightly across my arms. Sprays that misted my hair, and then more touchups to my makeup. They even painted my toes and finger nails a light beige color. It was endless. And I felt it would never end. Sure, being a life size Barbie was fun sometimes. But their fun was a little…_curious_.

Emily was swiping some sort of gloss on my lips, as a final touch, when a blindfold went around my eyes.

"Hey! No, no. What are you doing?" I fumbled my hands around me, reaching for someone, and then grabbing for the fabric around my face.

"Don't. You'll mess up your makeup." Kim said disapprovingly, slapping my hands away. Instantly I pouted.

"Stand up. Good girl. Now, raise your arms." I did as Emily told, and I could feel them replacing my towel with some sort of shirt, or maybe it was a dress, "Good job." Applauded Emily.

I was pushed back in the chair, and some kind of rough boot was slipped onto my feet. The door opened and closed and I could faintly pick up voices in the next room. It sounded like the guys.

"Can I see now?" I begged whoever was left in here with me.

"I guess." Kim replied warily.

The blindfold was taken off, and Kim stepped to the other side of the room. It mystified me for a moment. That was until I saw what I wearing.

It was my dress. _My_ teal dress that I had bought from online. Even sitting it hit me about the middle of my thigh. Holy crow it was short. I unsteadily stood up, sure enough, it was short. There was no way in hell I would wear this in public, unless it with my bathing suit. The boots were actually a cowgirl boot, a dark teal and brown, with an elegant design on them, they hit right at my knee. It was the only decent thing about my outfit.

I eyed Kim. She looked immensely pleased with her work. A smug grin was plastered there and she took no notice to my scowl. Then I swiftly turned to the mirror and my breathing stopped. I looked…good. Maybe beautiful even. I had never applied that term to myself. It was reserved for my mom, or people like Emily and Kim who had this natural beauty, it was just so easy for them.

My skin glowed, it had an iridescent feel about it, radiating a slight peachy color and then a subtler shimmer. Even my bow-like lips were full and plump. A miracle directly from Emily.

I took another step closer to the mirror and peered at my eyes. They were a slightly gold color, picking up the sparkly sand shadow that lined my lids, but green was present, thanks to the green hue in the dress. My eyes looked almost seductive. The dress slightly hugged onto my torso, giving the illusion of curves. And the bottom bellowed out a tiny bit. Everything was accented and it contrasted perfectly with my skin.

Kim's soft hands came to rest on my bare shoulders and she grinned. "Nice, huh?"

"What'd ya'll do to me?" Even I could hear the awe in my voice.

"Nothing we wouldn't have done to ourselves. Look at you though." She shook her head, and straightened out my dress, "You look positively amazing."

"Yeah." I answered as I stared at myself. Not in vanity, but shock. If only I had looked half this good for prom.

The door opened again, "Oh!" And then another pair of arms wrapped around me, "Don't you look lovely?" It was Emily, and she had a glow about her as well. This was for a different reason. The glow of love, so utterly natural and beautiful, it was completely unfair, I was almost jealous.

"Thanks." I muttered. I forced my eyes off the mirror and turned to face them. "So, when can I change?" As good as it felt to look pretty, I would much rather have my t-shirts and jeans, "This dress is meant for a toddler." I pointed at while scrunching my face up in disgust.

They exchanged a look. But neither of them spoke.

It dawned on me. I had been kidnapped for a reason. "Oh no." I whimpered, hunching my shoulders forward.

"It's fine. Just step outside. Nothing bad is going to happen." Assured Emily and Kim at the same time, a practiced line. This meant that they were expecting this reaction from me. How weird.

"Do ya'll _see_ what I'm wearing?" Frantically I waved at them, drawing their attention to my legs, bare, and utterly standing out against the dress.

"Oh yeah. We see all right." Replied Kim an eyebrow raised up as if challenging me to say something.

"But…the…argh!" It was exasperating knowing I didn't get a say in anything. What had I gotten myself in to?

Both of them laughed at me. I should have run when I had the opportunity.

Grudgingly, I clutched the door knob, which I wanted nothing more than to smash underneath my grasp, and opened it. Voices filled the air, louder, maybe even a little obnoxious and excited. Kim and Emily both passed me in a hurry. I growled lowly. I was getting good at that. Soon I wouldn't be puny Simba anymore, I would roar like Mufasa. I shuddered. It almost sounded like I wanted to become a werewolf.

So I held my breath as I walked. I was blatantly exposed. I hated the feeling. When I rounded the corner, the whole pack was there, minus Sam and Paul. It was so easy how I could pick out who was there and who wasn't there anymore. Almost too simple.

Cat-calls sounded around me and worked to hide my furious blush as I avoided their eyes. I was going to strangle Kim. As if she sensed I was looking for her, Kim hide behind Jared, clutching at his stomach. I rolled my eyes at her cocky grin.

Emily came to my side and pushed me forward where Sam came into my view. He actually smiled at me, but then took in my clothes and I could see he was resisting the urge to scowl. Oh how I wish he would and make me change. This was torture!

"Don't get me started." I mumbled to him, knowing he would be able to hear me.

He gave a low throaty laugh, "Good to know you don't approve either." He muttered back.

A heavy arm flung itself over my shoulders. I staggered under the pressure, "So…" Collin started out, looking at me suggestively.

I groaned and untucked myself from his overly friendly embrace.

"Hey now." He started, pouting at my retreating form.

"Don't hey now me. You're not my type." I kidded, scooting myself a little further away from him.

His eyebrows covered his eyes as they scrunched together, "I didn't think you had one."

I sucked in a quick breath. I knew what he was referring to and it kinda hurt to have it said aloud. "Obviously you don't either." I snapped back.

Collin's eyes narrowed at me and he seemed to have a bit of trouble trying to come up with something to say back.

"Don't give yourself brain damage thinking so hard." I replied sarcastically. Sam was eyeing Collin, like he was going to reprimand him at any moment.

Seth stepped in before Collin could open his mouth to that one, "You look wonderful." His eyes were alive, and not the hauntingly dull look from my dreams.

"Eh, thanks." A faint warmth spread over my cheeks, just as it had began to die down, and my anger bubbled out.

That's when I took in that everyone's eyes were on me. It wasn't just limited to Sam or Seth. Everyone was looking at me. Even Leah. Surprisingly, Jacob had a friendly smile on his face, though his eyes held a tightness, Quil was mimicking him, but there was no hostility. If this was the kindness I would receive from now on, I would take it. It was better than being ripped to shreds just by their eyes.

A phone buzzed from the far side of the room. It was Jared's. "On we go!" He cheered.

It was a beacon, telling them when to leave or something along those lines.

Another sound of hollers erupted. Was I the only one confused? As I looked around, I could tell I was the only one not in on this so-called surprise. Everyone else looked as if they were about to burst. What had these people taken this morning? Never mind that. Where could I get some?

Sam held his arm out, ushering me forward as he opened the door to the night sky. I had missed the whole day? Wow.

I expected it to be dark outside, but it wasn't. The trees that huddled around and in front of the house were covered in lights. Tiny white lights danced around in array of patterns, blinking, pausing, flickering rapidly, and some even motionless. It was beyond mesmerizing. There had to be thousands of them reflecting the dancing light, small beams scattering across the yard. It was like lightening bugs in a corn field during summer, not suspecting that what they were doing was perhaps a magical scene.

The moon was clear in the sky and slight breeze swayed the trees, there was no rain. Not even the inkling that it could rain.

Everything was beautiful. I was then aware that I was the only one moving forward, until I saw something. A movement. So subtle, that if the light had not been gone for a split second, I would not have noticed it.

It was Paul, gracefully stepping out of a white carriage that I just noticed. The carriage was huge, the wheels were white, and a twisting could be seen where intricate patterns ran themselves along the body which was adorned with little lights, not blinking, just still, motionless. Faintly, I made out the outlines of a driver, and then two large horses in front. The top was open, for there was no roof, the sky could be easily seen, and seats inside looked slightly darker than the body. It was just like Cinderella all over again. Was this how she felt? Seeing magic being performed right in front of her by the ones she cared most for?

My attention drifted back the hulking figure in front of me. His hair was straightened, not the usual disarray I was used to seeing, but there was a slight wave to it. His skin glimmered with the light around his, making him look like some kind of god. A dark shirt stretched over his muscles, but it didn't look uncomfortable, no it looked the exact opposite of uncomfortable. The front was lined with buttons that abruptly ended at his pants, and like a good gentleman, it was stuffed inside his pants. A slightly faded denim jean clung to him; it was new, judging for the lack of wear. To top it off he had a dress shoe on, brown boots that looked sort of like mine, except you couldn't see how far the went. They were obscured by his jeans. The werewolf was actually wearing clothes.

A smile stretched itself upon my lips involuntarily and suddenly I felt like Jell-O or a slinky being tumbled down the stairs by a five-year-old.

Paul didn't say anything as he held his hands out and inside them was a small blue box which he delicately opened to reveal a corsage. It was mix of orchids and hibiscus, the colors of white and pink blended perfectly together around a beautiful silver woven wrist band. I swallowed back the lump in my throat, as he slipped it onto my wrist. It was stunning. I wiggled my fingers a bit, getting a feel for it.

He stooped down to my level and his lips brushed against my ear, only meant for me to hear, "You look absolutely breathtaking." He made no attempt to move, and his breathing was coming out slightly ragged.

My heart was jolting itself against my stern, in an almost painful way, but for a whole other reason. I could see his strong tanned cheekbone right beside mine and I leaned up just a bit, "You don't look so bad yourself." I said after I reclaimed my brain. My words sounded funny, almost breathless, but in a good kind of way.

Paul pulled back a fraction to get a good look at my face; I guess my voice tipped him off. His eyes wandered everywhere, from the tips of my forehead to my exposed neck. It looked like he was drinking in every part of me, remembering it, finalizing it into his memory. His fingers caught mine and he brushed them across his nose, inhaling my scent. A smile appeared, and his face went completely content.

I had completely forgotten about the audience behind us, until a loud popping sound went off. My gaze flickered back and then to the sky where brightly colored fireworks were going off. Some wolves were holding roman candles, letting balls of different colored fire leap into the air, two were holding multicolored sparklers, and then a fountain went off. Its colors made me stop for a moment and focus on just that. The sparks that flew up and scattered around the edge of the yard, showering it in it's beauty, reminding me of cascading waterfall.

I stood there for a moment, taking it all in.

"Ready?" Paul whispered against my cheek.

Again, my heart went into overdrive, jumping into my throat. "Yeah. I'm ready."

Enthusiastic goodbyes came from every direction. Was the whole town here? It sure sounded like it.

Paul's sturdy hand helped me up into the carriage. I was careful not to mess up my pretty corsage as I sat down, Paul pulled himself beside me, his hand still entwined with mine. It made me jumpy, the feel of his warm hand in mine. It felt utterly _right_.

The driver was already on the move as soon as Paul was still. He had a black coat on that flowed behind him, silver buttons trailed down, and he wore black slacks. The mans hair was thinning, and was a shade of pepper brown, though I couldn't see his face. I imagined him to look rugged with deep set wrinkles; even in the dim light, I could see his hands were rough for wear.

"Do you like it?" Paul asked nonchalantly, but I could hear the burning curiosity underneath. I was that attuned to him, it was almost unfair. Almost.

"Yes." I sighed, looking around me once again and back at Paul, "But did you really have to send Kim to kidnap me?"

"What? She said she wanted to help." He faked innocence.

"She was bouncing in her seat the whole time." I rolled my eyes, "At least she enjoyed herself. But why a surprise?"

He shoulders just shrugged as if he was avoiding the question.

I let it go for the moment, "So, where are we going?" That was the most prominent question in my head now.

"It's a surprise." He teased.

I found myself smiling despite everything. "New clothes?"

Paul scratched his shoulders as if remembering them, "The pants and boots are mine, but the shirt is Sam's." He eyed me, lingering longer at my exposed legs, "What about you? New clothes?"

"Not really. Dress is mine. But these boots," I demonstrated them by lifting my legs, "I dunno. I think I might keep 'em."

"Only if you wear them with that dress." He growled.

I studied Paul for a moment, his eyes were slightly glazed, and a heated look was deep within them. "Heh. I might burn this dress. Now that I know what effect it has."

"I won't allow it." I glared at him and he gave a hefty sigh, "_Please_ don't burn it."

"Better." He scowled for a moment, "And I won't burn, since you asked so nicely."

"Thank you." He said while relaxing.

It was weird, being ridden around in a horse drawn carriage. It was very smooth and I felt as if I should be in the older centuries where women wore huge skirts and looming umbrellas above their head. But instead, I was here, with Paul. Going on my first date. Our first date. It didn't bother me if I wasn't his first date, but I didn't know what to expect. Was there some formal code when out on a date? I shouldn't think so. Maybe I should have asked Kim and Emily about this. Who would have thought Paul would plan something like this though? How could I be mad at Paul for planning this? I wasn't, not even a tiny bit.

He shook me from my thoughts, "Stop thinking or you'll miss it."

As the carriage rounded the corner, in a small space, was a café, lined with lights, blinking furiously. Actually, it wasn't just the small café, but the whole street. The whole place was lit. There wasn't a car in sight and I couldn't see anything people either.

"How did…?" I choked out, still staring at my surroundings.

"Favors."

I looked back at him, "You planned this whole thing." I stated, amazed by everything I've seen so far.

"Of course." His face brightening.

"By yourself."

"Come on, you're hurting my ego." He said while letting out whine, but his eyes never lost that visible spark.

"It's surprising." I corrected myself, "In a good way." I squeezed his hand, which automatically curled in return.

"Good to know."

We slowed to a stop, and Paul stepped down, still keeping my hand firmly wrapped around his, led me to the small café. At first, I wasn't sure what I was hearing, but when I looked in the corner of the room there were four men. Two were playing drums slightly singing, one was strumming a guitar, and the next was the lead singer. It was quiet; barely a hum, but it provided a nice back drop.

"Gypsy music." I said in awe. I loved the sound of it; it made me want to sway. And without thinking that's what my body done.

"I thought you would like it. Dance with me?" He whispered, his arm already sliding around my waist.

"Mhm." I agreed.

There weren't any other people besides the little band and some people in back. They were staring at us with a look of satisfaction. I wonder what he had to do to clear out this place.

Gently I placed my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his chest. Just listening to his heart pound erratically and basking in his warmth. His arms were locked firmly around my waist, and his head was on top of mine, inhaling every moment or so.

"Vanilla." He mumbled.

"Yeah. Emily's idea."

He took another deep breath and then he started to spin us around, easily dancing for the both of us. We stayed like that for awhile. Just holding on. It was nice just being held. I hadn't realized just how large he was, or how tall I was getting, but I loved the way his muscles expanded and contracted every time his arm moved. How every minuet move I made, he made with me. It amazed how perfectly we fit together. Oh so perfect. My heart pressed painfully into my ribs, it was almost too hard to breath, and yet I did not want to breathe.

"I have food waiting for us." He mumbled again, forcing himself to break apart from me.

A table, set in the center of the room, was lit with candles in the middle and an off-white lace cloth hanging from the sides. Two chairs were facing each other from the opposite sides, and nice silverware was set out. Paul pulled out my chair and pushed me in. He was really good at being chivalrous.

As he sat down a woman was already on her way, two plates in her hand. She gave me a warm smile, which I returned as she put my plate in front of me. Behind her came an older man with two glasses filled with some sort of drink. The old man winked at me and I laughed quietly as he patted Paul's shoulder.

"What are we having, honey?" I kidded, becoming more myself. The sappy stuff was really getting to me.

"Well, dear, why don't you take a look?" He smiled sweetly back and lifted the covered dish for me.

As he lifted it, I felt myself laughing. I hadn't expected this. A small kid sized pizza sat in the middle of the plate with M&Ms decorated into the shape of a smiley face. I looked over and his was the same thing, except his had eyebrows and a tongue. He started to snicker at his, obviously not expecting the added 'accessories' to his.

"That isn't gonna satisfy you." I said while pinching of a piece of chocolate between my fingers and then eating it. Pizza with chocolate was just heavenly.

"Don't worry about that." He said while trying not to scarf his down. He actually had control over how he could eat. If only the others would learn from this.

Paul was trying to be the gentleman again, cutting the pizza with his fork. I looked at him quizzically before picking mine up with my fingers, ripping, and stuffing a portion into my mouth. He grunted but followed suit. Before I had time to finish my first one he was already on his third.

He started up a conversation, "What are you planning to do this year? School? Work? Something?"

An uneasy feeling settled over me. This had been one thing I wanted to avoid. I worded everything carefully, "I'm pretty sure I'll go to work. Full-time job, that kind of thing." It was the truth. Being a werewolf would be a full-time job. No lie there.

"No college?" He frowned at that thought.

"Nah. I'm content." I finished up my second pizza and sighed. My stomach kinda hurt from the pizza, but I felt like I could eat more. I was gonna eat myself outta house and home one day.

"But you could go into music. You're good at it." He pushed.

I propped my elbows onto the tables, "That would mean going away. Like New York or Massachusetts." Such an easy lie. I could go to a near by school, but I hadn't given it _to_ much thought. What would the purpose for it be? To get a degree and then come back to La Push to guard the small reservation from vampires? The better use for that money would be for food.

"Oh." He resigned, "I don't want you to go away."

I grinned suddenly, "Me neither." I lightly blew the candle light in front of me, making it bulge in Paul's direction. His hair moved around him as I did so. Paul blew back, and suddenly we were having a little competition.

Sometime while were trying to keep our candles alive another plate had been set in front of us, each with one little fortune cookie.

"It's not gonna have something stupid in it, is it?" I eyed him warily, "Like, 'You will live long and prosperous.'"

His lips slowly curved upwards, "I dunno." It was then I realized Paul had taken my word habits.

Cautiously, I broke open my fortune cookie and held the thin paper between my thumb and forefinger.

_The secret of a happy life is to fall madly in  
love with Paul and want to spend every  
moment of the rest of your life with him._

I read over it once, twice, three times. My jaw, which had dropped to the floor, slowly worked its way into smile. And then I found myself roaring with laughter. It was so funny and yet, exactly what I would have written, if this had been my idea. I pressed my lips into a line while I spoke, trying to contain my outburst, "What does yours say?" I demanded.

His voice was fluent and had that rough edge to it, "_The secret of a happy life is to admit to Evelyn that you sabotaged her fortune cookie, but did indeed mean well._" Amusement lined every corner of his eyes.

"You sabotaged my cookie?" I asked feigning shock. What could be more charming than a fortune cookie that didn't go with the meal theme. But that's better, knowing Paul wasn't the type that had to have everything the same.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." He grinned catching on and taking his cookie and poking the whole thing into his mouth.

"And to think, it was such a great fortune." A longing sigh released itself from my lips, "I wonder who this Paul fellow is." My shoulders lifted and fell.

He pursed his lips, "I'm sure you'll find him one day."

I looked down and started to pick at my own cookie, slowly eating it. All the while Paul stared at me, waiting for me to do just that. Fall in love with him. To take the hint. He wanted me to spend the rest of my life with him. Rocking ourselves on a porch swing, hand-in-hand, staring into each other's souls, and never once having to guess if we were right for each other. A twitching sensation fluttered at the corner of my lip, and I bit down to stop the stupid smile that I knew as coming.

I liked the idea more than I should. I was seventeen for goodness sake! I wasn't supposed to settle down this young. I wasn't even supposed to start dating until I was fifty! Who would have guessed I would find a soul mate, find a best friend worthy of dating, meet my half-brother, and turn into a werewolf all in two months?

After finishing the last of my cookie, I found the strength to look up at Paul. He looked troubled and he wasn't looking directly at me. I don't even think he noticed I was looking at him. So, I openly stared. From where I sat, I could see his eyes, a melting chocolate pot of warmth, lighter in the center, swirling around each other. His lashes were framing them, long and feathery, and as he blinked, I could see just exactly how long they were. They touched his cheekbone. His face was strong, his jaw perfectly lined cut sharply, and his lips bowed out, almost into a pout. Was there anything about him not perfect? I could not imagine there being an imperfect part on him.

I gazed a little longer at his jaw line and lips and went back to his eyes. I jumped a little when I saw he was looking at me too. He smiled unapologetically, and reached over for my hand and pulled me up, sending the veins in my hands into a frenzy.

"One more stop." He murmured. His body turning lightly to wave at the people in the kitchen and they cheered in return.

Paul held the door open for me and we once again stepped up into the carriage. The driver grinned at us, which I then saw his face wasn't rugged, but remarkably young for his age. He never said a word as we settled into the cushions and then we were off.

"Is this another surprise?" I asked while crossing my legs.

"Yup." His enthusiasm was evident, though he tried to act calm.

"Better than a smiley faced pizza?"

He blew air through his nose and he settled up against me.

"You're not telling me. I see." I tapped my hands on my arms impatiently. "Well, what can I expect?"

Silence.

"Fine. Fine!" I grumped, letting my body relax against his, "So. How did you know I liked gypsy music? Or chocolate pizza?" It was intriguing. I never told him any of this. If he had just guessed out of the blue I would be impressed.

Guilt was writing itself all over his face, "Your mom helped out." He saw my glare and backtracked, "I mean, after I got everything done, I didn't know what you would eat or anything. So, she was nice enough to volunteer a few ideas. Sweet woman." He complimented.

That startled me. "Does she know…?" I left it open motioning with my hands to us.

"Yeah. She knows you're my imprint. It was weird that she knew everything and I didn't have to tell her."

Sam. That was why she knew. Why dad acted weird and happy. Stupid Sam had told my mom who had then told Dad. I gritted my teeth before I could say something I wasn't supposed to. "Weird." I agreed reluctantly.

I started to pay attention to our surroundings. The light faded away and all that was left was the glow from the carriage. Were we headed toward the woods? What could possibly be out there? Eagerly, I leaned over the railing, trying to see around and into the night. If only I was a cat, able to see in the darkest of places with ease.

A warm restraining arm wrapped around my waist. "Don't fall." He murmured.

"Not possible with you here." I joked as I turned slightly around.

A silly self-conscious smile was on his face. "Guess your right." He finally said.

While I tried to lean further over the rail, his arm kept tightening, cutting off my air. Eventually I had to give up. "How much longer?"

"Not long."

"Did you know I've never ridden in a carriage before?" A simple fact that I felt like sharing. Heck, I felt like talking, an odd first while being around Paul.

"Mhm." His fingers gently pulled on my tussled hair, slightly brushing against my scalp.

"Did you know that I lied to you that day at the beach?" I bit the inside of my cheek, as his fingers came to a halt, and then continued as if I had said nothing.

"About what?" He asked, not seeming that concerned.

This was different. I had been planning to rustle a few feathers. "Diving."

"Figures." A long breath released from him, one that I didn't know he had been holding.

"How so?" I straightened up to glare at him in the dim light. The right side of his face was hidden and large shadows draped across his skin.

"The way you dived." He shrugged. "You reminded me of a chicken trying to fly."

I puffed up my cheeks till they throbbed in protest and then exhaled muttering all the obscenities I could think of. It wasn't that I was mad at him, but specifically at myself. All the wolves had seen me diving like a chicken trying to fly. Great. I couldn't pinpoint anything more embarrassing. Walking in public in my underwear would have been more tolerable than looking stupid in front of soon-to-be pack members.

As I glared at him, it made me wonder when I had become so…worrisome, but that wasn't quite the right word. I let that slip from my thoughts. No reason to put a damper on Paul's spirits.

He tapped his invisible watch, "That tantrum lasted exactly, forty-five seconds." He silently laughed, "I guess my charm is finally starting to work."

When I was about to answer, a blue and magenta light in the distance caught my eye, "What's that?"

"We're here." He breathed, sounding relieved.

As we got closer, I could tell exactly what it was. If I had thought everything else was beautiful, well it was nothing compared to this.

Chinese paper lanterns hung from the trees, to many for me to count and the colors were vibrant, lighting up the surrounding ground. Billowing sheer fabric hung from the trees, trailing the ground as the wind blew, making the fabric tangle around themselves. In the middle of the fabric was large plush looking blanket. Pillows blanketed the surface, stacked on one another in various arrangements, and I could faintly make out the shape of some kind of basket. It reminded me of an Arabian night theme.

"You know, I think you got your Disney stories mixed up." I teased, as I stepped out of the carriage before Paul could help me.

He growled playfully, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, the carriage is obviously Cinderella. Then the café was, uh," I pondered for a moment, "maybe Lady and the Tramp? Without the spaghetti, of course. And this. This is like Mulan and Aladdin, right?"

He cocked his head to the side as we started to walk side by side to the blanketed area. "Someone's put a little too much thought into this."

"I'm wrong? Wow, so it wasn't Disney themed." It just felt like a Disney party, but without the talking birds and singing crabs.

"You're wrong." He said while taking my hand again, "Never thought you would admit you wrong on something."

I snatched my hand away. "Well. Now that I think about it…"

"You wouldn't wanna make me sad by starting a fight on our _first_ date, would you?" His full lips were in full pout mode. "I spent all this time. Just to make-"

I threw my hand in front of his mouth, "Fine. Point made." And the proceeded to wipe my hand on his shirt sleeve.

"That's not very nice."

"Sam should think of it as a present." I chuckled and skipped off toward the flowing cloth.

Paul pushed it aside before I could, and gently pushed me in. In one swift moment, he flopped onto the blanket, and stretched out.

Not wanting to get the blanket dirty, and because my feet were killing me, I pulled off my boots and left them to the side as I stepped on the blanket. It felt soft and satiny as I wiggled my toes into the fabric. After I settled myself into the pillows, Paul started to shuffle through the basket.

"What? Is the big bad wolf gonna eat little red riding hood?" I asked while pulling my dress down, trying to get it below my knees.

"He ate the granny." Paul muttered.

"My bad." I replied sarcastically, causing him to look up as he pulled out a big bag of pre-unwrapped chocolate kisses. "Are you trying to get me on a sugar rush?" That's when I remembered my hypoglycemia. It was nonexistent. No problems with it, none at all since my appetite has grown. Does that mean I'm practically cured?

I focused back on Paul as he set some Reddi-Wip on the blanket and dumped the half the bag of kisses onto the blanket. I felt my mouth watering. Silently I reached over and grabbed the can and squirted some onto my finger and poked in into my mouth. "Mhm." I sighed happily. And then I caught Paul staring at me. "What?" I asked innocently.

"Nothing." He mumbled and poked a kiss into his mouth.

"Thanks." Sincerity evident in my voice, "You know, for doing this." I stated while gazing toward the sky, which was starting to cloud.

"You're welcome." As he said this, his large hand went to my face and in it held a piece of chocolate. I opened up, as he set it on my tongue, his fingers brushed against my lips ever so softly and then retreated.

I sat stunned for one second and then relaxed and let it melt.

We devoured almost the whole bag of chocolates by feeding them to each other. We never let it get to intimate, but that didn't stop our fingers from lingering on each others lips, or cheeks, or jaws. The Reddi-Wip went just as fast, we were already three cans in. It amazed me that he had brought extras, but that was to be expected with his appetite.

"I didn't actually think of this idea. The feeding chocolate to each other thing." He confessed suddenly, guilt marring his features.

"Oh?" It really didn't bother me that he hadn't, like it should have. I was officially going soft.

"Yeah. It was Sam's idea."

"Sams?" I sputtered.

"Surprised me to. But he's been good about everything."

I pondered that for a moment. It was weird; Sam had forbidden Paul from being alone with me. "So he trusts you now? Cause you're here and not being watched by anyone." I said while glancing over my shoulders to confirm what I already thought to be true.

"I guess. It started the day you went to Alabama." He paused, and put another piece of chocolate into my mouth. "He was going to send Jake, since he's second in command, but Billy needed him around the house. But he decided on Embry and myself, after some persuading on my part." He grinned at me.

I swallowed loudly, "But he had forbidden you from being alone with me."

"I know. But when he said I could go, there was something else. I dunno what, I think it has something to do with what he's hiding from all of us. Anyway, he knows that he can trust me to protect you. So, he lifted that rule."

"But Embry ended up coming with you." I pointed out.

"Right." He groaned. "Another secret of Sams."

I nodded absently. He had sent my soul mate and possible brother. Makes sense. Especially since at the time the rest sort of didn't like me. "So, where do you live?" It had been bugging me for awhile.

"Usually I just stay in the spare room at Sams, but I have my own house." He said proudly.

"Your own?" I asked as I stretched out beside Paul, our feet touching, but I was propped up on my elbow so I could see his face.

"Yeah, was my grandmas, but she left it to me. Occasionally I'm there; the guys crash there whenever they feel like it." He said while leaning back and folding his arms behind his head, making a cushion.

"So, why stay at Sams if you have your own home?" I wondered aloud.

"It's _lonely_ being by myself. And I can always count on someone being at the Uley home, so…" He trailed off, not meeting my eyes.

My face felt like it was on fire. Stupid me. "Right." I said quickly and then recovered. "So, why not ask Quil or someone to move in with you? I'm sure they would agree."

His face puckered, as if he had tasted something sour, "Well, I do have someone in mind. I just don't think they'd agree."

"Why's that?" Why would his pack brothers not want to move in with him? It made no sense. Did he have a messy home or something, but would that matter to a bunch of wolves?

Paul was still silent, not looking at me, just staring up above us towards the night sky. His brows were furrowing every few seconds. It looked as if he were debating on telling me whatever it was.

"Do they not like you?" I asked, prying for more information while watching the play of emotion on his face.

"I'm not sure. It seems like the person might be warming up to me, but I just can't be sure." He struggled with his words, a deep scowl that was usually always there, appeared again.

"It doesn't hurt to ask though." I nodded to myself. "Yeah, because then the person could get to know you and surprisingly, you're not that bad." I grinned at him when his far away eyes focused on me.

It might have been seconds or minutes that our eyes stayed locked. They were wide and doe like- shocked, but they settled into that brooding stare, one that Sam gives Emily, Jared gives Kim, and now I was receiving it.

Keeping his eyes on me, he took a deep breath, as if preparing for some unknown battle, and said what I knew should have seen coming. "You know, you could move in with me." I gaped at him, "No-no. I mean, uh, I have extra rooms. No, I wouldn't make you sleep in the same bed with me. It wouldn't have to be like that…" He started to mumble apologies.

_I_ was the person he wanted to move in with him. _Me_? Was he serious? It was our first date and he was already pinning for me to move in with him? His ranting cut off and it was silent, the only things audible were the crickets singing and my labored breathing. I took my time to gather my bearings, focusing my breath until it stilled into a silent puff here and there.

Paul was fidgeting, his legs slightly bouncing, making me bounce in return. He gave a few sighs and his lips were turned down in frown.

"I can't give you an answer." Breaking the silence was hard, but I managed. "What I mean is, I don't _know_ the answer." My voice quivered on the last word, and it was my turn to avoid his eyes.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked this soon." He grunted.

I rolled my eyes, even though I don't think he could see it, "You can't take responsibility for everything." I snapped back, "I brought it up."

"But I'm the one that asked." He replied in an annoyed voice.

"Let's keep it at the fact we're both to blame, all right?" I was trying my hardest to keep my voice calm, for his sake and mine, but it was a downhill battle if he continued on. "Just agree to disagree." My teeth clenched down and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my temper down.

"Deal." Even though it sounded as if he didn't want to say what he did.

And then we lapsed back into silence.

I was fuming on the inside, when there wasn't really anything to be mad about. For once, I just wish I could blame everything on female hormones. I groaned and flopped all the way back, letting my head roll to the side to stare at the vibrant colored lanterns. Everything had been going good. What was stopping it from continuing to be a great night? Right. Our stubbornness.

So, I gave in. Might as well make the most of the date. "Do you like being a werewolf?" I whispered.

At first, I didn't think he was going to answer, he was quiet for far to long. "It's all right. I like being apart of a big family. And some things would never have happened if I hadn't become one."

The muscle in my cheek twitched, pulling itself up halfway. I went ahead with my next question, "Do ya'll like having Leah in the pack?" I asked nonchalantly, turning my head back to look at him. I was actually hoping for some insight. I knew Leah was treated differently, but she brought it upon herself.

A grimace worked its way onto his face, "Not really. She starts stuff and she thinks because she's female, that she'll be able to get away with it." He scowled at nothing in particular. "Other than that, it's fine, I guess." He forced the last sentence out.

"What if she didn't 'start stuff'? Would things be different?" I pressed, making quotation marks in the air with my fingers.

"I dunno. Maybe." He shrugged, "Why so curious?"

"No reason. I like being curious. You should know this by now." I kidded trying to lighten the mood.

"All to well." He grinned cheekily at me.

"Whatever." I said while knocking my fist against his shoulder.

"Violent, aren't we?"

I laughed, "I'll show you-" I cut myself off when I gigantic droplet of water hit the side of my face.

"It wasn't supposed to rain." Paul groaned, as the rain started to pour down, drowning us in mere seconds. "Come on. Let's get outta here." He said while pulling me with one of his arms and grabbing my boots with the other.

In that instant, I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to go out on limb and let my feeling become real. I wanted, for that instant, to let everything I had been keeping cooped up to be out in the open. I wanted to take a chance and not worry about whether or not it would hurt in the end. "Paul?" I called out timidly, causing him to stop in his tracks and stare down at me though the menacing rain. We weren't even off the blanket yet and the water seeped around my toes in a unbearable mush. I could feel my hair clinging to the sides of my face and my dress was uncomfortable, sticking to my sides. But those things didn't matter at the moment. "Please, for me, will you do something?"

His eyes burned into mine. "Anything." He vowed.

"Kiss me?" My voice was confident, but I was begging, even if it was a silent plea.

The boots in his hands thudded to the ground. His hands brushed my neck, tracing down either side of my shoulders, pulling the straps of the dress along with them. My heart thundered, loud enough to rival the distant rumble in the clouds up above us. My lungs burned, begging for me to breathe, to inhale in some sort of oxygen. I sucked in a few ragged breaths as one of his hands continued to trail fire down my arm to my wrist and back again.

His other hand came to run itself the length of my jaw and cupped it gently, pulling my face towards his. Small drops of water lined his lashes, they blinked a few times, clearing his sight, and he laid his forehead against mine. His breath blew out, stunning me, mingling with mine. "Always." He said as he exhaled once more.

He pressed his lips softly against mine, slowly moving, brushing them back and forth. Blistering hot fire coursed with each subtle movement, but it wasn't enough. I needed more. My right hand tangled into his hair and pulled him closer to me, pressing his mouth firmly into mine. Fiercely demanding, my lips quickened within the movements of his. Greedily drinking him in.

_This _was what it felt like to kiss your soul mate.

My left was on his chest trailing downwards yanking his shirt from the insides of his pants, I wanted to feel the contours of his muscles under my hands. Feebly I opened the buttons of his shirt and he groaned when my skin made contact with his. His muscles rippled underneath my hand, I loved the smoothness. I felt one of his hands move to my back flattening us together, my hand copied his, moving toward his back, learning every curve of his body.

Lightly, he pulled my bottom lip between his teeth, and then started to kiss every inch of my face. I was on fire, my whole body burning up in flames, but that was because _he_ was literally everywhere. His fire. So completely different from anything I have ever felt. I was in an inferno, and I didn't dare to pull myself out of it.

I pressed my lips into the hollow of his throat, as he nipped against my ear. I shuddered, and I felt him smile against the skin there, my ribs hurt as my heart pushed its way into them. It was the pain of pleasure. His breathing was uneven as he buried his head into my soaked hair, trying to catch his breath. Still he kept pressing his lips into my hair, breathing in, and then letting his hands linger on my exposed shoulders, and rubbing the skin there.

My fingers ran themselves through his wet hair, straightening it back out, as I leaned heavily against his chest. Paul's heat was enough to keep him warm, and my cheek was burning with the proximity. I could hear the drumming of his heart and out of the corner of my eye; I could see far away lightening. Pink and blue streaks coated the area. It was perfect.

The candles within the lanterns were long gone, and the only light that shown was the occasional flash of lightening. Our shadows danced with each other's every time the area was lit up.

I sighed in contentment. The rain, pelleting us, striking coldness into my skin wasn't enough to get me from my high.

His fingers caught my chin, and his other brushed the stray hairs away from my face. For a moment, he gazed into my eyes and then lightly kissed me on my nose. "You're going to get sick." His husky voice washed over me.

"Then it'll be worth it." I answered honestly, as he bent over to retrieve my boots.

I could feel his body shake as he chuckled. He pulled me along to the awaiting carriage. Large umbrellas were perched on it, sheltering it from the oncoming rain.

I curled into him as we sat down. It felt good to be selfish. I didn't regret it. No, there was no regret. And there never would be any. The whole way his lips brushed my forehead, his hand rubbed mine, and his body hunched over to provide some protection from the chilly wind for me.

The ride back was short, nearly too short for my taste. I didn't want the night to end as he walked me to my door step.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked automatically, as I clutched onto his hand.

"If you want." He replied, running his free hand down my shoulder in that all too familiar way.

"I do." I agreed quickly, hypnotized by his eyes.

Paul had a large grin on his face, I bet at that moment he was thinking his date went better than he had originally planned. Swiftly, he leaned in and kissed my cheek, lingering there for a second, "Tomorrow." He whispered, and then dashed away towards the carriage.

I stood transfixed for an eternity, before I stiffly made my way inside, peeling off my dress and laying my shoes by the door as I went. After throwing my dress and undergarments in the sink of the bathroom, I put on new ones and a soft t-shirt.

I slowly sat myself on my bed, thinking about the whole date, mainly the ending. My body fell backwards, jolting the mattress some before becoming completely still again. I found myself conjuring up little scenarios with Paul and I. Everything in my head was vivid. It felt like it was playing out right now, but all this dreaming was going to leave me unrested by the time morning would come.

But I didn't care.

My heart was out of it's enchanted slumber. And I had fallen completely in love, involuntarily.


	21. Cheer Up, the Worst is Yet to Come!

There's an **important **message down at the bottom.

Read on sweeties!

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"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!" I whimpered into my pillow.

I had just spent the entire night tossing and turning. Light was already streaming through my curtains and I wasn't ready to get up. To top it off, my head was killing me with a vengeance. It felt as if it were pushing my brain through my nose and then some. This wasn't just any headache, though, this was combined fleet of migraines from the past seventeen years of my life. If it were possible, I would think this was how, if alive, the mummies of Egypt would feel while their brains were being ripped through their noses. Slow, painful, and scrambled. At least they were dead while it was happening.

I fisted the blankets and wrenched them away from body. "Stupid idea." I chattered angrily, wrapping myself back up in a small flannel blanket and padded out of my room. I felt chilly for the first time in awhile, I wasn't cold, and yet I was hot, it felt...weird.

Loud snores echoed throughout the living room, rivaling the TV that was on. When I made it past my little hallway, I could see legs sticking off the end of the couch, drooping and spread awkwardly over the floor. If I had the energy, I would have snickered, and deliberately woke whomever it was up. But I left them be and looked around once more, only to find the other recliner was occupied as well. I didn't bother with looking closely, I didn't want to know who was here this early in the morning. As I made my way to the kitchen, a figure was slumped over in a chair. I knew who _this_ was.

Paul was asleep, a stack of papers to his left, under his hand. The neatness his hair held last night was lost; instead, it was its usual disarray and sprawled around his eyes. I stopped, just to look at him. So utterly peaceful and at ease, not a care in the world while he was able to sleep dreamily. A completely different Paul. But I guess that's just one of the many sides of him. At least he had come back, just as he said he would.

Had I doubted him? It certainly felt like I had.

I sighed inaudibly and started to fix myself some hot chocolate. I was going to be lazy and make it the easy way, with hot water and some Swiss Miss. I moved silently, the only sound was the blanket scrubbing the floor, and my breathing. The cup filled with hot water was in the microwave, heating up to the perfect temperature, when I felt scorching hands wrap around my blanketed waist.

"Morning." I croaked.

He sighed, laying his cheek atop my head, "Afternoon."

"Oh." I whispered. I could've sworn it was still morning time. The bell on the microwave beeped. I reached in to retrieve the cup and started to dump three packets of powder into it.

"Think you got enough?" He mumbled.

"Probably not." I answered as I stirred the powder round and round, making a whirlpool of chocolate, reminding me of Paul's eyes. "How long have you been here?"

"Since this morning." Paul chuckled and pulled me closer.

"Really? I didn't hear you come in." He didn't protest as I pulled out his embrace and settled myself into a near by chair.

When he didn't say anything I looked up. I really wish I hadn't. Paul was shirtless again, but his arms were folded neatly across his chest blocking the rest of my view. Instead, I continued on and I noticed how low his shorts were. Not appropriate. Not appropriate at all. My breath caught and I turned away lowering my head to the table, so that my cheek was resting against the cool wood.

_Way to go Evie. You ogled him._  
I freakin' _ogled_ him.

"Argh." A subject change seemed important right about now. "So…what are those?"

"Thought you would never ask." He replied quietly, trying to disguise the obvious happiness, as he sat down directly across from me. The same spot he had been minutes before.

"Well out with it." I ushered, making a point to look directly at the papers in front of me.

"See, I was talking with Kim earlier, and she had a bunch of extra applications to nearby colleges around here-"

"And you thought I might want to take a look." I finished, clutching angrily at the mug resting in my hand.

"Not just look. Fill out an application and send it in."

"No." I said stubbornly.

"I'll do it for you." Paul threatened.

"All right then. Since you know nothing, like my date of birth, social security, school history, GPA, the list goes on and on, Paul." I ticked each off on my fingers. "I can see how you would get it done."

He grinned. "There's always your mom." He wasn't taking my anger seriously. Why wasn't he taking me seriously?

"She won't help you!" I hissed through my clenched teeth.

"Why the hell not? She would be proud of her daughter going to college!" The sheer volume of his voice was enough to make me recoil back and clutch the sides of my head, but I let go after a moment to glare at him.

"She has slightly bigger things on her mind than me to going to college." Like her daughter turning into a giant mutant _freak_. I would say that takes the cake there.

"Like what? Her job? What could possibly be bigger than you going to college?" His fist connected with the table, making it shake, I was surprised that it didn't break.

Why was he getting so uptight about me going to college? I know he can't, but just because he can't doesn't mean he should force it on me. If anything, he should respect my decisions, and just let it go.

The scowling, angry Paul was back. And I hated it.

"We're dropping this conversation." I said while sliding out of my chair.

But he was up as well, blocking my path to the living room. His arms were bulked in front of him, his stance was intimidating, and for a second he reminded me of Quil that day at the beach. It felt like ages ago, when it was only weeks.

"What conversation? You won't even take a spare moment to think about it." Those chocolate orbs were staring back at me, half angry and half confused. "Don't say you have. You haven't." He ground out the last sentence.

"I'm not going to college, Paul." My free hand went to his arm, trying to push him out of the way, "I would appreciate it if you would move."

He didn't react. He didn't move an inch. He just stood there, not quite looking at me. It seemed as if he were in deep concentration, that he was on the verge of grasping something. I just hope that something wasn't the something I was trying to keep them all away from. It would be so easy for him to put two and two together.

I stomped my feet against the floor in aggravation. Even that didn't cause him to look at me. Couldn't he at least feel some sort of vibration? Oh, don't tell me, his feet have built in shock absorbers.

"There's something you're not telling me." Paul said suddenly, interrupting my internal ranting. I didn't like the tone in his voice. It was thoughtful and wise, matching the look on his face perfectly.

I kept my face a smooth mask. Sam would be proud. "We've talked about that as well. I'm entitled to my secrets."

"I would at least like you tell me. Maybe I could help." His voice was velvet soft, almost as if he were trying to coax me on.

The words evaded me. Skipped past my tongue before I could say them. The words that would hurt him even worse than past disagreements we've had. So I stayed silent. My mask of emotionless nothingness plastered on like a beauty queen's fake smile. Strategically placed. And never bending.

"You can't do that forever Evelyn, you have to talk to me, or else we'll never accomplish anything." Those were _my_ exact words. The words I had used on _him_ when he ran away from _me_. The words I used when _he_ didn't want to talk to _me_. _He_ turned them on _me_.

Screw the mask. My anger flared inside me, pulsing out like blood from a wound, "Do you want me to bitch you out Paul? Is that what you want me to do? I guess I'm just up for disappointing you, huh?" I slammed my mug onto the table. The consequences of such an action were not that bad. The cup shattered, obviously, and the contents spilt itself over the clean floor. "Shit." I mumbled. The only remnant was the handle, which was in my hand.

That definitely _wasn't_ normal.

"Whoa, what broke?" Shouted Brady as he came crashing into Paul. I guess Brady had been waiting for Paul to lose his temper and turn into Mr. Hyde. He was just another safety net.

"Nothing." I grumbled, ignoring both Brady's skeptical look and Paul's shocked one. I took my sweet and precious time. My head enjoyed the silence. The pounding slowed to a dull ache, nothing unmanageable. If only it would stay like that.

All the emotions within me swirled and I focused on just one. To be calm. It was harder than I imagined. It was almost as if I wasn't the one controlling them anymore. Was this why werewolves had trouble controlling their temper? The wolf spirit within us cannot deal with raging human emotions, I concluded. So the final release of turning into our wolf selves is just therapy? I had never thought about having two different spirits inside of one body, but that's how it was. Duh. I was losing all of my Twilight knowledge. I took a few deep breaths, letting everything fade away, and just focusing on my breathing.

Brady started talking quietly to Paul then. They had probably been watching my little show. I could pick up on their sentences. It was so easy now, like spreading butter on toast easy, or making a bowl of Easy Mac easy. I decided to be nice and not eavesdrop, and hummed a happy song that popped into my head. It just happened to be Jiminy Crickets 'When You Wish upon a Star'.

I had just finished dumping the remains of the cup in the trash when there were three sharp raps on the door. Honestly, who still uses the door anymore? I practically ran to it, eager to see who it was. Not only that, but to escape the eyes of Paul which had been glued to me for the past few minutes. He might not have known I knew he was looking at me, but I did, that tingling sensation was annoying.

As I opened the door, I saw my best friend. I still considered him that, even if things have been awkward between us. That did not matter. It never would.

"Seth!" I shouted, and then barreled into him, giving him an enthusiastic hug.

"Hello to you to." He laughed as he patted my head.

"What are you doing here? Gosh, I missed you!" I was bouncing and everything that happened ten minutes ago was completely forgotten. I hadn't seen Seth nearly enough since all this imprinting drama came along.

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the beach with me." His eyes were twinkling; a striking shade of hazel was embedded deep within the brown.

"Sure. Let me change." I didn't let him reply as I took off back towards my room, completely avoiding Paul and Brady.

I doubted we would be going swimming; it looked as if bad weather would soon be coming in. I grabbed up a pair of jeans and slid them on. They actually fit me still. Maybe there was hope for the rest of my new pants as well. I didn't need to give my credit card another shopping spree in such a short amount of time.

I had just tied my orange and silver shoes when I picked up on a heated conversation from the kitchen.

Time to use my wolfy powers.

Gently and silently, I pressed my ear to the door. If they could spy on me, then I certainly could spy on them. James Bond has nothing on me.

"-'member what I told you?" Hissed a voice, a deep angered voice. That had to be Paul, "You just don't listen."

"I don't remember a stamp being on her." Seth was oddly collected. Maybe it was just my preconceived notion on how a werewolf acted, but I somehow expected a little more rage. Or maybe that was just how much everything had changed. I was so used to Paul's blunt anger that I had forgotten about Seth's easy going attitude.

"Like hell. I stamped her the moment I saw her." My brows furrowed and my jaw tightened. I strained to hear more.

"So, she's a possession now?"

"She's mine." Paul growled threateningly.

"And yet you forget she's not only the imprint, but human. Not only human, but independent." Seth sighed and I could imagine him running his hand through his hair. "And you forget I was friends with her first."

"That's what it comes down to." Paul mocked. "I knew it."

Then there was short silence. Had I missed something? This was so confusing. I understood why Paul disliked Seth, but to hate him? Maybe this was the same sort of prejudice that had been put on me when things happened that night at the Uleys.

"I want my friend back." Seth said once more.

"I'm not stopping you from being friends with her. But I know you Seth. I've seen-" And then it became so low I couldn't hear anything else.

I rubbed my fist into my eyes, clearing away the slight haze. I knew I needed to apologize to Paul for being such an ass. But he needed to get over his need to dominate every single conversation, to dominate every single thing about me. It wasn't fair.

Thinking about earlier, caused me to huff for a few more seconds, and then I swung the door open and marched stoically towards the trio.

As I passed by the couch, a voice to my left called to me.

"Hey Evelyn." It was a depressed low hum of a sound; I didn't recognize the owner till I turned.

"Jeez, Jared. Did your puppy die?" I kidded.

He looked like he hadn't slept in awhile. His hair was in a mess, and his clothing was crumpled. "No." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Don't leave me hanging." I said while crossing my arms impatiently.

"Kim's with her parents again. They're out of town," He sucked in a deep breath, "for the next three days." It was as if dooms day had come or as if aliens had invaded the planet and stole her body away.

Understanding swept through me. "So you're staying here?" I murmured. Not that I minded, he was quite entertaining when he was in a good mood, but all this sulking was as bad as watching a soap opera from hell.

"Maybe." He exhaled as he said this and slumped further into the cushions. "I don't think anyone else can put up with me."

"If that's the case, you can stay, and I'll make some dinner when I get back."

"Thanks." Jared was already halfway out of it as his snored started up again.

I shook my head slightly and continued my journey to the kitchen. Paul was sitting in a chair, his head buried in his hands. Seth was grinning at me from the door, lazily leaning against it. A normal person would have fell flat on their butt. I stuck my tongue out at him and moved with purpose towards Paul.

_Just suck it up Evie. Get it over with and be done with it. It's that simple._

He didn't lift his head as I came to stand beside him. So, I leaned down and pressed a kiss on his exposed cheek. "Sorry for earlier." I mumbled. It was embarrassing to have to apologize, it wasn't even _my_ fault and yet here I was being nice of all things.

I straightened up when he didn't say anything, just nodded his head stiffly. That was all I was going to get? A nod? Tempting as it was, I resisted my urge to grab the nearest appliance cord and strangle him to death. That was all I needed. A murder on my hands. Plus I'd have to kill the witnesses…

I started to snicker as I turned on my heel. Seth wasn't there anymore, but I could see his foot by the door. Before I got even two feet away from Paul, I heard him whisper, "I'm sorry too."

"Yeah, yeah, you're forgiven." At least he apologized. When I rounded on the door, I kicked Seth's foot out of the way and closed the door.

"You've gotten meaner." He complained, while he pretended to hop on his foot.

"Maybe I've just gotten tougher."

Seth stood back some and got a good look at me, "Nope, definitely meaner."

I desperately wanted to point out that it wasn't me who had gotten meaner. Come on, anyone would be an emotional train wreck with a raging wolf inside them. But that was my wolf side that was throwing the temper tantrums. There were two definitive sides of me, Evie, the regular girl who has a big mouth, and then there was werewolf Evie, the mythical being who has a hot temper. Totally different. I couldn't let that slip yet. Especially not to Seth, the boy would spill the beans within ten seconds of being away from me.

Or did I just want to be normal? After everything happens, I will be treated differently. I wasn't ready to give up the normalcy that was everyday life for me for the past seventeen years. God, I was acting like my humanity was being stolen away from me.

I registered the crunch beneath my feet before I looked at my surroundings. We were already at the beach. A slight drizzle was coming down, but when was it not raining in La Push? The waves were beating each other, and then with a sudden defeat, lapped at the shoreline, and retreated back toward the roaring ocean.

Seth grabbed my arm and pulled me down into a sitting position beside him. I had an odd feeling of déjà vu. It burst within me, I knew exactly where we were. "This is where we first met. This exact spot." I said in awe.

He gave me that huge grin of his, "It feels like forever ago."

"Tell me about it." I laughed, and pulled my knees up to my chest, "This will always be my favorite spot on the beach."

"Same here."

A comfortable silence settled between us.

Somehow, I felt the need to clear up everything between us. It was irrational urge, though. There was nothing to clear up, it just felt that way. He was as much involved as I was. Why was I eating myself up about this? Why did I feel like I had betrayed Paul? Now that right there was completely irrational.

I shook my head and brought it to rest on my knees. "So, why did you want to go for a walk?"

I studied his face, his eyes, and the way he tensed. Slowly determination came ablaze, but it quickly doused by a look of regret. What was he so conflicted about?

One of his hands pushed the hair out of his eyes, brushing it back toward his temple. "I dunno. I just wanted to talk. We don't really hang out anymore."

That was a lie. I could see it from a mile away. But I went with it. Why should I cause something between us now, when there is a whole obstacle just behind out ankles? "Mhm. Yeah. I thought I had scared you off with my fearsome video game powers."

He scoffed, "Never, you just got a lucky break."

I was grateful for the distraction, "Psh. So, what can you do? Besides turn into a giant wolf?" Playfully I poked him in the side.

"Lots." Seth frowned at me, and quickly turned away.

"Like?" I drawled out, "Are you the 'fetch the ball' champion or something?"

"What's with the dog jokes?"

"Oh, come on, Beethoven. You know that was funny." My laugh was so carefree, I liked it. So, I laughed a little louder, just to hear it, just to be laughing with Seth.

"Do you have a mental problem?"

"Only with you." Absently, I began tracing my fingers along the rocks and sand I was sitting on.

"Don't I feel special now." Sarcasm coated his voice.

"You should." I flicked a stone with my finger, sending it flying toward the water in front of us, "If you're lucky…Some of my mental problems might rub off on you. I bet that would make you feel really special."

"Right. Maybe I'd get the psychotic part of you." I stared at him with my mouth open, "That would be really fun."

"That's awful of you Seth." I pouted, "I'm not psychotic, and you know it." I grabbed a fist full of stones and threw them at his leg. They bounced to the ground and he didn't even flinch. I grinned, "Okay, so maybe I'm a little psychotic."

"An understatement." He pulled me to his side and wrapped an arm around me. "You know, I love you, right?"

My breath caught and I continued on normally, "Yeah? I love you too, Seth." I did love Seth, I loved him like my brother, I realized. More than I should and yet not enough. Things had changed, yet again.

His body tensed for half a second. Was I missing something? I looked up at him, he seemed to be debating on sharing something with me, but instead just gave a sheepish smile.

"Let's go back. I heard you were cooking us dinner." In a swift motion, his was on his feet. He was still extremely tense, but his happiness was back.

I grabbed his hand, pushing myself off the ground, "If I remember correctly, I said I would cook Jared dinner. Not the wolf pack."

"Jared is the wolf pack." He pointed out.

"Whatever. I know I won't win this one." I grumbled.

"It's for the best." I had a feeling his words had a double meaning. Seth hugged me for a brief moment and then we started back toward my house.

We were back into the normal flow of things it seemed. Maybe this was for the best. My version of what's best always ends up with explosions and a country being destroyed. I was trusting Seth on this one.

After all, it wasn't just my heart involved anymore, it never had been.

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A** SETH POV **is located on Chapter 37. It is a alternate POV for this chapter, because I know y'all want to know what Seth is thinking during this chappie.


	22. So Much For Staying Incognito

So, I'm changing up some things. Three quarters of the way down you'll notice a difference in the **POV**, it switches into _"Third Person",_ it's mandatory, because if I didn't, you wouldn't learn the things going on elsewhere.

Hopefully this meets up to the standards everyone expects. -Crosses fingers- And I hope it doesn't feel rushed. :C

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The guys had left exactly two and a half hours ago and I had survived the onslaught of four and a half ravenous teenage werewolves. Three plates of spaghetti, five bread rolls, and a mountain load of Parmesan cheese, had been served to each of the four wolves. That was enough to make anyone hate noodles or the sight of someone eating it; a three-year-old would have done a better job at feeding themselves.

So, here I am, laying in bed once again, thinking over my day, and trying to count sheep. Too bad my sheep look more like overgrown mutated ones. Couldn't they just be normal? Why did they have to look like half wolf and half sheep, with gigantic eyeballs, and long floppy tongues?

Just keep counting them, maybe they'll take the hint and change back to normal, happy sheep.

One overgrown scary looking sheep.

Two overgrown scary looking sheep.

Three overgrown scary looking sheep**…**

My eyes fluttered open and I gasped. I was in pain. Pain that caused me to clutch the covers in an attempt to subdue it. My body ached and blood pulsed underneath my skin making me swelter. It had come on so suddenly and there wasn't an exact location for the pain. It radiated from every pore in my body. Sweat was pooling itself at the hollow on my throat, and it streamed down the sides of my face soaking the pillow with a sea of salt.

I groaned and turned my head, glancing at the clock. Four in the morning. I tried sucking a deep breath, but a rain of nausea hit me out of nowhere. It caused me to choke on the oncoming bile as I hastily flung the covers off and ran into my bathroom, where I heaved the contents of my stomach into the porcelain throne. My throat burned, but my stomach continued to heave, completely oblivious of the pain it caused me.

My stomach was obviously declaring its hate for me- I decided when I was free to take a deep breath and replenish my air. The hair on my head clung to the sides of my face and the base of my skull- it was an odd gritty feeling. Sweat trickled down my face, blurring my vision and making my eyes sting. With a shaky hand, I tried to wipe it away while my other gripped the side of the tub to keep me from falling face first into the floor.

I eased myself to the side of the tub, moving painstakingly slow, where I rested my head against the coolness the enamel coating provided. It brought temporary relief, however, minuet it was.

Forget becoming sick, I had took on a whole epidemic of past illnesses and then some. No, I wasn't sick, I was deathly ill. Deathly being the optimum word.

Sick. I was _sick_. I racked my brain for some unknown reason for this sudden sickness. I had been fine pretty much the whole day- except for the migraine earlier. It was then my brain went into the storage chamber of Twilight knowledge. It fast forwarded through Twilight and skipped right into New Moon. As the scenes flew by it suddenly stopped. I was at the part where Jacob, Bella, and Mike were off to see the zombie movie.

I pondered this for a few moments as I reminded myself of what happened at the movies. All three went into the theater, but halfway through the movie Mike got sick. I had a virus? No, it was after the movie that was important. Right after Bella had dropped Mike off at his house.

_Jacob_.

That was what my brain was telling me. It wasn't what happened after the movie that was important, it was what happened to Jacob _after_ the movie.

_Holy crap._

Numbness invaded me for a brief second, replacing the pain that coursed through my body. I was turning into a wolf. So soon? Was I ready? You could never be ready for something like this. What was I supposed to do? Wait around until someone provoked me and burst out of my skin? And to think I had thought being a werewolf would be so awesome.

The pain started to prickle back, providing a tingling sensation in my legs. It was then I knew who I needed. The person who knew my secret. A person who I could trust and count on. The leader of the wolf pack. The alpha himself. I needed Sam. I needed my _brother_.

I waited a few minutes, waiting for the nausea to come back, it didn't. I took that as my cue, and started to crawl my way back toward the bag beside my bed. I moved slowly, gasping as pain hit my stomach- crippling it even further, and making my limbs turn into needles. It was an eternity until I reached my bag and fumbled for my phone, retrieved it, and then made the torturous journey back to the bathroom.

I spread myself on the floor of the bathroom, pressing my cheek back against the tub and pressing the phone to the other side. The Uleys phone was ringing.

After five rings, someone picked up.

"Hello?" A gruff voice said.

"Sam? Is this Sam?" I tried to keep the pathetic whimper out of my voice, but it didn't work.

"Evelyn?" The voice was more coherent now, "It's Quil. Sam just went to sleep."

Great he was playing the nice wolf boy now. He was about three weeks to late on that, "Quil. I need you to get Sam. Please, Quil. I'm begging you." Another sweep of nausea hit me as I said this; I struggled to keep it down. I didn't need them _all_ to come here. That would be the grand finale. And the final act is- Evie turning into a gigantic mutant gremlin! I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity.

It was quiet for an extra long second, and my breathing was coming out raggedly, as if I had just ran a marathon. "If he kills me it's your head." He threatened.

"Don't worry." I gasped, "You won't die this time."

Another stretch of silence, followed by grumbling, and a loud pop. Guess Quil didn't say who was calling. His fault. "What is it?" Sam growled. He obviously thought it was a pack member.

"I think it's happening Sam." Stupid tears mingled with the sweat on my cheeks, yes, I was being overly pathetic. "Everything hurts."

"Evelyn." He stated and then he registered what I was talking about, "Where are you at?"

"My bathroom." I sighed.

"On my way." And then the line clicked off.

I flung the phone away from me and it clattered uselessly against the sink, probably breaking. Another thing I had to worry about, strength and temper. That same strange feeling from earlier crept back. Edginess replaced the nausea. And I was starting to feel annoyed. Annoyed with everything around me. The predicament I was in, the rawness of my throat, my mom, Paul, my mom again. Gosh darn it was all her fault! If she had just left me in Alabama, I could have avoided everything. Meeting fictional characters, becoming a wolf, finding out I hadn't never really met my dad, and everything else that's went wrong. I would be leading a normal life, going off to college-

A large warm hand placed itself on my shoulder and it cut off my internal ranting. "How you holding up?" Sams voice held so much concern. How could I have not wanted to meet him? He was one of the many reasons that made La Push life bearable. Ha, I thought that now, but soon he was to become my own personal boss. The wolves of La Push should be paid for the work they do! Is saving an innocent supposed to be instant gratification?

It took me a moment to answer, while I took in another breath to calm myself, "Imagine being run over by a Mack Truck and then having the driver coming back, and cuss you out 'cause you happened to be in his way." I snapped with my hoarse throat.

He didn't say anything, just effortlessly scooped me up and brought me back to my bed. Just like a big brother would, he tucked me in, and put a damp cloth on my head.

"What am I supposed to do?" It was hard holding back the agitation that I felt, but I would try my hardest not to take my emotional problems out on Sam. He gets enough trouble as it is anyway.

"I want you to stay in bed and get some sleep. You'll need it." He patted my head once, "I'll be close by." And then he was off, silently shutting my door behind him. I could hear his retreating steps through the house and the click of the front door.

That was it? I called him just so he could tuck me into bed? That didn't help much. Did he want me to kill the next person who pissed me off? Did he want me to rip my bed to shreds? I sighed and clutched my arms around my stomach. Sam knew what he was doing. Or at least I hoped he knew. It's not like he hasn't dealt with wolves before, nine before himself. Just listen to Sam and everything will be all right, I told myself.

I took a few deep breaths, holding it longer than necessary and then exhaling. I repeated the process several times before my breathing exercise worked. I was out like a light bulb.

* * *

I was pulled from unconsciousness by a warmth on my chest. I looked down and bundled up was Sassy, sleeping soundly, and her paws were kneading softly into my skin. Her tail curled itself around my nose and I sneezed. She jumped up at my reaction, sinking her sharp claws into my chest, and darting to the other side of the room without a backwards glance.

"Owww!" I hollered and rubbed my chest and collar bone. "Sassy, why did you have to go and do that for?" For a second, I felt utter rage at her, my muscles convulsed, and a searing pain went down my spine. It was maddening to say the least. I stifled the emotion just as quickly as it had come. I didn't want to hurt Sassy. Sassy was my baby, I couldn't hurt her. I _would not_ hurt her.

I sat up and glanced around the room with blurry eyes, it was still dark outside, and I could hear the rumble of distant thunder, I knew there was a storm coming in, and I had been right. I fumbled with the lamp beside my bed trying to turn it on. With the click of the switch, it faintly lit the floor and I could make out a scared Sassy in the corner opposite of the room. I slowly made my way toward her, not wanting to frighten her anymore than necessary. I was crouched down to the left of her, my hand shakily going toward her small head, when I realized it wasn't _me_ she was looking at. And then it suddenly made sense. It wasn't _me _she was afraid of. It wasn't _me_ who had made her run, maybe I had been a part of it, but it wasn't _me_ that she cowered away from now.

A sickening sweet smell filled my nostrils.

The smell that had haunted my dreams.

It was the same exact smell.

My breathing hitched in my throat and I slowly started to turn my head, fearing for the worst. A rain was picking up outside and flashes of lightening could be seen, my shadow danced on the floor, and I was suddenly in a horror film. The cheesy lighting, the girl slowly turning to look at the murder that would surely claim her life, after all, what girl actually lives in the Slasher films? None. At some point, in the original, or in the upcoming sequels they die. It's a lose-lose situation.

When my head was fully turned, I did not see anything. I sighed, letting out a small hysterical laugh. Maybe I had been wrong. The smell doesn't lie, my brain argued. I internally berated myself. Just as I was turning my head back around, lightening struck, lighting up my entire room for the briefest of seconds and next to my door was a figure. Not just any figure, a pale beautiful figure, whose face was terribly frightening.

I gasped. This couldn't be real, I was dreaming. I was fast asleep and I was having another nightmare. The pale figure shifted slightly, I could feel the change in the air as it did so. This wasn't a dream. I was in my own real life nightmare.

The room then felt hot, extremely hot. It was on fire. It was completely different from Paul's fire, this fire was maddening, as if everything around you was slowly driving you nuts and at any given second, you would combust with that fire just to escape the feeling. That same fire started to heat itself from the deep insides on my bones as I stared at the figure. The _leech_, my instincts corrected me automatically.

"Hello, darling." It's voice was delightful, as if greeting an old friend, "We finally meet."

I now had a face to the voice. This was the vampire that had been plaguing my dreams, haunting them to the point where I would reach insanity. I wasn't crazy, though. He was real and he was in my room. On cue, my body began to shake with the close proximity of the leech.

"You remember me. Wonderful. And look, it's time." His teeth glittered in the faint light and my eyes honed on him. Taking in his step to the side, ever so graceful- a practiced movement. Everything felt slightly crisper as the adrenaline pulsed through my veins. The fire slowly made its way from the palms of my hands to the soles of my feet. It was almost like pain earlier, burning itself from within me, no exact point of origin, but never ending.

"What do you want with me?" I asked enraged, as convulsions racked my body, blurring my vision slightly, but never obstructing it completely.

"Oh? Well, it's simple, Evelyn. I want you to become immortal." He laughed at my shocked expression, and quicker than a bullet his hands were around my throat and I was sent flying into the wall behind me.

Stars danced behind my eyelids and I forced them open and took in the sight in front of me. A metallic tang was in the air. My blood? The vampire stood, his mouth mere inches from my throat, and his ice-like breath sent another set of tremors down my body.

"You would be a magnificent vampire." He inhaled once, wasn't the blood of a werewolf supposed to make him cringe in distaste? "The power you could have- the power that resides in you. I can feel it. A sixth sense if you will." He whispered alluringly, tracing my arm with his free hand. Disgusting.

His mouth grazed my throat and he breathed in deeply.

I was glad, at that moment, that mom was always working. She wouldn't be killed. She wouldn't see her daughter being held in a vice grip by a leech. She would live.

But I- I was going to die.

_No. _The inner strength within me ordered. The wolf within me.

I was built to take him apart. Before letting the complete and sheer pain overtake me, pictures of my friends and family flashed in my head. All the happy times I've seen, their smiling faces, birthday parties, nights just looking up at the stars, everything that I wouldn't get to see again if I died. Then the last face that came to my mind was Paul. Paul. The grump-butt, the person I've come to like, the person who even in the worst of times I can't manage to hate. Our date had just the other day, so sweet, a big leap; I was just finally accepting everything. I wouldn't let a bloodsucker take that all that away from me.

It started.

My body began to expand and contract. The muscles under my skin stretched, making way for the beast inside me.

It was slow motion after that, just a second that felt like a life time.

My body started to break itself apart as the fire suddenly exploded within me.

Bones started to pop one by one, rearranging themselves, growing, and setting up for the change. As the bones started to place themselves, I could feel the muscles and veins shifting- growing. Cartilage realigned itself giving extra cushion. Ligaments, hell, every thing in my body was remodeling itself, and I could feel it. Imagine yourself being slowly pulled apart, every bone, muscle, every piece of tissue tearing itself, and then putting itself back together. Only the end product is ten times bigger than the original. It felt like I was dying.

The worst was my cranium being stretched, changing form, breaking, and growing large incisors rivaling that of any being around. And then my epidermis wasn't just that anymore. No, a prickling sensation took over, searing warmth spread over me, and with it came fur.

Then it ended, all the pain, all the fire- everything except for the ferocious rage I felt for the creature in front of me.

I could feel myself falling through the air and four large paws caught the ground before I fell completely. My head grazed the low ceiling, almost making me want to duck my head. I growled at the leech near me, and a red scarring heat blazed through me as my paw connected with the leech's arm.

The vampire immediately backed off when he saw he was to close; my swipe hadn't even faze him. He started to look me over with appraising eyes, "Well done." He praised me like a small child, his hands clapped in sarcastic fashion.

A slight whimper escaped my muzzle and I started to back away. Only to find that I had completely busted out the back wall to my room. Mom was going to kill me. That is if I lived through this.

"Don't be afraid. You'll want to be unconscious for the transformation anyway." His black hair shined in the moonlight and his pale features were exotic looking, a frightening combination with his alabaster skin overlay. His red eyes stood out like beacons in the night for a lost traveler.

Being new had its disadvantages, I realized all too late. How was I to dismember a vampire? I had read the basics, but how could I apply that to real life?

Momentarily, I was distracted, _"Evelyn, we're on our way. Try to get outta there."_ Sam said through the mental link.

In that second, something crushed into my ribs, and a reverberating echo surrounded the forest. I had been knocked into a tree. The vampire stood just to the side of me, grinning in triumph.

"_I can't. Help please."_ I begged, my eyes slowly losing their intensity. That didn't stop me from trying to stand up. Some ribs were obviously broken, but I hobbled, snarling an empty threat, while circling.

"_You can do it, defend yourself."_ The voice of Sam whispered to me urgently, while showing previous fights to me. A lone howl sounded and one by one, my head started to fill with voices, a drill being dug into my scalp would be the equivalent.

The leech rounded on me, side stepping, and humming a low tune. "Aw, you can do better than that." He shook his shoulders some, as if loosing them up. And then he charged.

I dodged, but his right arm collided with my shoulder. _Deal with the pain, Evie. _I pep-talked to myself. I was aware of the audience in my head, the shock from them was coming at me full force. What I wouldn't give to yell at all the voices in my head.

I limped backwards, watching his moves intently. It would be impossible to turn tail and run. The leech would catch me before I even made the circle to turn.

"Our fun ends tonight." The leech said sadly and in a flash he was in front of me once more, holding down my neck easily with one of his own hands as I try to snap and dig my front claws into him.

There was no breath I could suck in. My world was slowly going black. The echoes of my fellow packs members were steadily becoming lower, just background noise.

"Don't die on me, _Evie_." And then I was falling forward. Nothing was going to catch me. I wondered if it would hurt even more once I hit the ground. It couldn't possibly hurt worse than I already felt. At least the leech was gone; all that was left was the burning stench.

My lids were closed halfway and then while falling forward my body hit something hard and warm. Through my blurred eyes, I could make out silver fur.

_"Paul."_ I consciously thought. _"Sorry."_

I was safe. I wasn't alone anymore. _I was safe._

It was then that I succumbed to the darkness eagerly.

* * *

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" Paul whispered angrily, as everyone settled in for a pack meeting at the Uley house. His arms were raised in anger and his face was distorted. How could Sam have kept this from them? From him? Especially from him.

"Like I said, Evelyn wanted it to be a secret." Sam said simply, as if it were no big deal.

"Why though?" Collin asked, confusion plain as day was written on his face, "Why would she tell _you_?"

Sam ran a frustrated hand over his face. This was the part he was hoping to avoid. "Evelyn is my half-sister. That's why she told me. That's why."

Silence settled over the small table at which they were gathered. Every member of the pack gaped at Sam, obviously not expecting that. The atmosphere became tense, some pack members throwing glares, some settling with this new information as if nothing had changed.

Jacob was the first to recover, "I guess this means you're not a freak after all, Leah." He said while dodging a punch from the alpha.

The once only girl of the pack held a blank face. Things were reeling through her mind, the first of which was that she wasn't the only girl anymore, the second was that all those theories of Sams had been shot down. Should she be rejoicing that she didn't have to live in a testosterone filled environment anymore? She finally had another girl to patrol with and to talk with about the bores of pack life. But that girl came with a price. She was _his_ sister. She was what made her brother a lovesick puppy. Could she overlook those things and become accepting? Leah didn't know.

"Shut up, Jake." Seth said defensively. In Seth's eyes, nothing had changed. Evie was still Evie. Seth had witnessed her growth spurt, eating habits, and mood swings; it hadn't prepared him for this though. But what was there to prepare for? He looked around at his brothers. What was the big deal? Leah is a female _and_ a wolf; it's nothing they haven't seen before. He decided to break new ground and get this ball on a roll, "Where's she gonna stay?"

"Here." Sam said quickly, "She will stay where she is now until she's recovered. After that, I would like her to move in with one of you. Think of it as a babysitting job." Sam couldn't have Evelyn living with him for very long, there was Emily's safety to think about. It would be best if she lived with the others who wouldn't get hurt if she suddenly phased.

"She can move in with me." Paul said quietly. This whole concept of his imprint being a wolf was upsetting. Not only that, but she was the alphas sister. What was worse than that? Nothing. That had Quils scandal beat by a millennium.

Someone around the table snorted, it happened to be Collin, "Right." He drew out, "We want her to learn control not how to lose it."

Like a ticking time bomb, Paul jumped up. He was bent on twisting Collin up into a tight ball and dropping him from the cliff. Several times if he had too.

Sam intervened, "Paul, sit down." He then turned his glare on Collin, "That wasn't necessary. If you don't have anything worth mentioning, then shut up."

Paul flopped back down and took in a long breath, "It's the best idea. Jared's the only other who has a place."

"No compromise." Jared frowned, "Kim's moving in with me."

Sam held in his inner struggle. If the only option was moving in with Paul, then he'd have to take it. Rules would have to be set, obviously. "She'll move in with you then." Sam made an effort to give him "the look." It must have worked because Paul visibly flinched away. "Now that that's settled, we'll work out a day where we can show Evelyn how to handle leeches."

"Yes!" Brady and Collin hissed together. Plans were already in motion on how they would treat this new pack member. Having a little fun during training seemed like good start. What the alpha didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Paul growled, "You expect her to fight?" This stunned him, if anything she should be forbidden from patrolling, let alone fighting, "She can't." He said fiercely. Her current condition was a testament to that.

"What am I?" Leah snapped, "If I can handle myself, I'm sure she's capable." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Gender discrimination did not sit well with her.

"I understand, she's your imprint, but she's a member of this pack. That comes with responsibility." Sam knew how Paul felt, but he wouldn't hold special treatment for one member. He couldn't. What kind of alpha would he be if he did so? "It's not open for change, Paul." An order lay underneath those few words.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" A grin was on Embrys face, "Evie is a wolf?" He asked, making sure he had heard everything right. Sam nodded glumly in his direction, "Yes!" He shouted, and pumped his fist in the air.

"You're happy about this?" Growled Paul.

"Of course," Embry jerked his thumb toward Jared, "It's always a good thing when you win a bet."

Comprehension dawned on half their faces.

"No!" Howled Jared. "This was a set up!" He complained.

"Sure it was." Embry slapped Jared on the back, "How could we have possibly known that the little offering was to become a puppy like the rest of us?"

Jacob made a disgusted noise at the term 'puppy', "You're just afraid you'll lose to a girl."

"What'd you say, Black?" Jared barked.

"Keep it down guys." Sam shushed them, "We got a sleeping beauty in the next room."

"She needs to wake up. What's it been? Ten hours? Twelve?" Quil replied almost silently. He had never given Evelyn the benefit of the doubt. He had never gotten to know her because he saw her as the person that would cause the pack heartache. It wasn't like that anymore though. If his little Claire liked her, then he would try, for Claire, to get to know her.

All heads turned toward Sam. What was he supposed to do? A doctor was out of the question. And _their_ doctor had violated the treaty. There was really no choice. They had to wait it out. "She'll wake up when she's ready."

"I claim the couch!" Shouted Brady suddenly, as he sped off in that direction.

"Dammit." Muttered Jared, "I call a recliner!"

The rest of them bustled out toward the living room, settling in for the night. Sam just sat there, still as stone, while he listened to his fellow pack members argue over the remaining chair. Emily's voice could be heard over the rest of them. She was offering blankets and pillows as cushions to those who were forced onto the floor. What would he do without her? He drooped out of his seat and went with purpose toward the back room.

A hulking figure was in his way though, as if debating whether he should go in or not, "Maybe it's best if you leave Paul." Sam said solemnly.

Paul grunted. Maybe it would be best if he left. He could deal with a few days away; of course, he would be looking out for her in the distance. But all things considering, she would be under more pressure if she woke up and had her world turned upside down, as his had been. "I'll get the spare room ready then." His shoulders slumped almost in a painful way. It hurt not to be able to help his heart which was right inside this door that he didn't dare enter.

"I'll let you know if anything changes." Sam gave Paul a reassuring pat on the back as he strode by him. Sam knew this was hard on Paul, he could see that by the lines etched into his forehead, or the way his mouth was turned down into a permanent frown. He also knew that it was eating him up because Evelyn had told him and not Paul. Either way, what was done, was done.

He cracked open the door to his sleeping sisters room and gazed at her. Nothing appeared to be wrong, a few broken ribs and shoulder, which had been easy to put in place once she phased back to her human form. It was amusing, he thought. She was the perfect contrast to him. Pure white, while he was the blackest of night. Sam sighed deeply and exited the room where an awaiting Emily had her hands folded neatly across her chest.

"Still the same?" She asked delicately. Emily had known about Evie being a wolf for awhile now. She also knew Sam had a soft spot for Evie, whether he'd want to admit it or not. If only they had known sooner, then she could have been a bridesmaid, but that was all right, she could always be a godmother.

"Mhm. No change." He murmured, taking her into his arms, and kissing the corners of her lips softly.

"Maybe we should call a doctor…?" Emily whispered, wrapping her arms around her loving husband.

He gave her a stern look, before softening, "They would ask for a truce. That we cannot give." He sighed.

"I hope she wakes up soon." She said worriedly.

"Me too," Sam agreed, "Me too."


	23. The Madness of a Gremlin

**June-23**

_There was nothing._

_Nothing was there. Was this right? Wasn't light supposed to be part of life? Instead of bright light, darkness swallowed me whole. Just the thought made my heart gallop furiously in fear._

_The tips of my fingers stretched out in front of me, grasping for the unknown. What was I looking for? Unsteadily, I took a step forward, sweeping my feet back and forth for solid ground. Who was to know if I was going to fall? There was no light, no smell, nothing to give me a clue as to what I was doing. Was I dead? Was this some sort of limbo? How did I get here?_

"_Hello?" I called out into the void. The sound echoed- empty and tuneless, a sound of death. _

_I reached even further, prodding my fingers in the dark distance. I was looking for something. As I trudged a few more steps I could feel heat! The closer my out-stretched fingers got, the hotter everything felt. My bare fingers brushed up against something. It was hard, warm, and impeccably toned. I trailed my fingers along the warmth. _

_It occurred to me that I knew the thing in front of me. A who. Human. Why couldn't I remember? _

"_Who are you?" My voice caught on the last word and I tried desperately to make out some sort of shape in the blackness._

_Was this who I was looking for? In my bones, I knew the answer. This was who I was looking for._

"_I know you." I stated._

_The person's hands intertwined with mine, which was stilled on their chest. "Of course you know me." The deep voice replied. It was a sad voice. Was he upset that I couldn't remember him? _

"_I've forgotten." I replied using the same tone._

"_Let me remind you." A hint of determination was in the voice. And then another hand was gliding down my shoulder, a fierce fire going with it. A fire so familiar, a pattern that I should know. The hand snared my waist and pulled me close. His feverish lips were resting on the corner of my mouth, slowly moving. "Always." He breathed. _

_With a jolt, I knew who I had been looking for. I knew who this was._

_Paul._

* * *

A blurring array of colors shot through my closed lids. It was as if everything was coming back to me, flashing by in weird patterns, and distorting me even further. In amidst the kaleidoscope a frightening face reeled by. Vampire? Right, the leech. Then coherency came and my eyes flew open.

Problem; why was I still alive? Vampires do not just leave their victims alive. They eat them, drink their blood, break their necks, and dispose of them. I relaxed for a moment, no fire was burning me, no weird sensations, I was not bitten, and I was fine.

I took a deep breath and turned my stiff neck. It was dark, but a faint light was coming from a small window beside the bed. This obviously wasn't _my_ room. I lifted myself up into a sitting position, pushing the scratchy covers down to the balls of my feet. There was pain radiating in my ribs. As if awakened, my shoulder inflamed and the back of my head started to ache- the pain was dull though, it didn't make sense.

I swung my legs off the side of the bed, ignoring my protesting body, and stood up. If it wasn't for my aches and pains, I would say I was fit as a fiddle. I crept to the door and listened for any signs of life. There was snoring, lots of loud snoring, someone was turning- switching their position, but I couldn't hear any voices. They were asleep. Whoever 'they' were.

The door didn't creak when I opened it, and the sounds got louder, as if the volume had been turned on high. I began to make my way toward the sounds, and as I walked through the little walkway, I realized I was at the Uley house. Surely, I wasn't having another movie night with Emily.

Then I came to the living room. Piles of Quileute boys lined the way, sprawled out, mouths hanging open, and all had their eyes closed in slumber. I smiled at the sight and continued on my way to the kitchen, avoiding the hands turned different ways, and the feet that crisscrossed besides one another. This was one big sleepover.

I went straight for the fridge. I knew I should feel awkward about doing that, but I felt as if I were possessed. When you're hungry- you're hungry. As the door swung open, light spilled onto the floor, lighting up the path I had come. Hopefully the boys wouldn't wake up. That was the last thing I wanted, an audience.

But all thoughts were lost and my mouth watered at the contents inside the fridge. There was so much food! I resisted the urge to cook a full-blown meal and settled on package of honey ham. I ripped it open in a hurry and dragged the first piece up to my mouth. It smelt heavenly and my stomach gurgled with delight.

I perched on the table and began to eat my fill. One slice after the other, I wasn't pausing to savor the flavor as I should have. Each piece hit my empty stomach with an audible _thump_. Before I knew it, I was on the last sliver of pale meat. I pouted and batted it slightly before poking it my mouth. Well that just sucked. I could have sworn that there had been more than that in the package. Maybe I dropped some? When I bent to the floor, all the thoughts previously lost to me suddenly came back in a rush.

I gasped and looked at my arms, dropping the container on the floor. There was no fur. Holy toad! I swung my head around to look at my back, hoping I wouldn't find half of my body in wolf form. That would be a sight to behold. There was nothing, thank goodness. I was regular Evie. Again, I looked at my arms, trying to see any difference. It didn't look different, but that didn't mean anything with the world I now lived in.

It was then I noted that I was hyperventilating, quick, sharp gasps escaping from my trembling lips.

"Calm." I commanded to myself and took a few cleansing breaths.

What was the big deal? I was a wolf, so what? I knew this was coming. That means there is no reason to freak.

"Stop freaking, Evie." I muttered aloud, "Just because you turn into a giant gremlin is no reason to panic. No reason at all. Look on the bright side…" I trailed off and then whimpered, choking back a sob that had built up in my throat, "There is no bright side."

I dwindled to the floor and pressed my back into a counter. My ribs screamed in defiance, when a knob stabbed the sensitive area. I groaned, "Stupid ribs. Aren't you supposed to be healed? Oh, wait. That's only reserved for special wolfies. Am I right? Bet I am." I grumbled and pressed my fists into my temple, grinding my knuckles there.

"Thought that was you." Said an amused voice, "Glad you finally woke up."

My head snapped toward the voice. It was Quil and it looked like he was barely containing his laughter. I scrunched my face up. Quil was being nice again. That _had_ to mean the world was freezing over. Maybe I had missed some sort news flash or global warning. Certainly, they would have told me if Quil had some kind of disorder, wouldn't they?

Quil shifted almost nervously and pulled out a chair. "So…" He started and then cleared his throat, "How do you feel?"

Sighing, I drug myself up to one of the chairs in front of me and spread myself in it, propping my feet in the chair opposite and hunched myself over the table. "I'm not sure. A little pain here and there. I feel weird though." Not to mention I felt like bursting into tears. They were slowly filling up my eyes as my lashes furiously swatted them away.

He was nodding his head absently; as if he were some kind of doctor listening to the patient describe their symptoms. In some kind of twisted werewolf way he was. Everyone, but me, knows what comes with being a werewolf. I guess things are going okay. Quil hasn't freaked out and pushed me into the woods yet, I must be doing something right.

"Am I gonna live, doc?" I asked in a small voice, almost trying to lighten the mood.

"A full recovery." He said while giving me a small smile, but there was something else, he wasn't done with whatever he was going to say. I braced myself for the slaughter, "You know you really gave us a scare. It's been hard on Sam, knowing he couldn't do anything but wait. We all felt that way."

That did it. The muscles in my mouth turned downwards and the waterworks turned on as I buried my head in my arms. Horrible sobbing sounds were coming from my chest as everything caught up to me. I really was a mythical creature. Soon, I would be out hunting for leeches and patrolling to keep the Rez safe. A choking sound came out of me when I gasped. The pain from my first transformation came back, would it be like the second time I phased? Deep inside, I wanted to find out, but there was that worry bursting like wild fire in my head, screaming at me that it was still going to hurt like hell.

"Are-" Quil started but was interrupted.

"Little offering!" Embry squealed, and then the overhead light came on, "Quil, stop hogging her and share- Oh."

"Did you make her cry?" The voice of Brady was near me, almost right beside me, if I wasn't mistaken, but I didn't feel like looking up.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Mumbled Embry.

"Shut up. I didn't make her cry. She just sort of started it on her own." Quil defended.

"What's all this ruckus? Didn't I say not to get to loud and wake…" Sams authority rang over the worried atmosphere, abruptly stopping, no doubt when he saw me.

"Sorry." I blubbered, raising my hands to wipe my eyes and get a clear view of the wolves in front of me. "Things just caught up to me." I sniffed.

I counted seven wolves in front of me, each staring at me with bewildered looks. I took the opportunity to use the sleeve of my shirt to dry my eyes- except it wasn't my shirt. Embarrassment bubbled to the surface. Someone had seen me naked as a jaybird. I stuttered out my sentence, "Whose are these?"

"Leahs." Sam looked at my face carefully- looking for my inner demon was my only guess.

There was a sense of relief in knowing these were from Leah. That almost guarantees that she was the one to pull me from my nakedness. She can't hate me that much then, unless she was ordered to that and not kill me in the process. Does that make it any better?

I bit my lip and looked down at my hands, staring at the crinkles in my skin that would stay the same until I stopped phasing. What was I waiting for? An accusation? What could they possibly say to me now? "Welcome to the club!" That sounded appropriate. In truth, I felt bad about lying to them, who knows what kind of hell Sam got for listening to me.

"Hey! What'd I miss?" Seth came in rubbing in his eyes, not really paying attention to anything.

"A flood." Collin snickered.

"Was not." I said as I turned my glare on Collin, "It was just an emotional imbalance." My voice was thick with anger. The sudden feeling of madness entered my system faster than the last time I had experienced it. I reined it in, knowing good and well what such an emotion could lead to- Emily wouldn't appreciate me ruining her table. It was hard, trying to control that lone emotion as it continued to batter against my better judgment. A sweat worked itself on my brow and I tightened my hands into fists beside my thighs- just out of view from the pack.

If not for my new eyes, I wouldn't have noticed the nervous glances sent toward Sam, nor the subtle lift of Collins shoulders. The colors seemed brighter, almost radiant. It was as if my life had been blurred the whole time and suddenly, someone decided to sharpen everything to a crisp. I gazed in wonder, taking in the wolves' appearances. They didn't like my scrutiny, but I could easily pick out the differences I hadn't seen before.

"Evie?" Seth said uncertainly.

My gaze shifted to Seth. His tall lanky form was hunched, much like mine was at the moment. The lean muscles under his skin were at rest, unmoving as he stayed frozen watching my calculating expression. The side of his mouth was twisted, a slight dimple prominent in the corner stood out- one I had never seen. It was almost as if he were trying to hold back a smile. My eyes locked on his, looking for something in their depths I wouldn't find.

I leaned back in my seat and cocked my head to the side. Seth still looked the same to me, his youthfulness showing as his cheeks lifted exposing his pearly whites- he was still Seth. Was some part of me relieved? I didn't have the answer.

"I see you still have a staring problem." He teased, bringing me back to the present.

"Uh-huh." I rolled my eyes at him, "I think that's the least of our worries now."

Seth grinned, a bright, happy smile- one that had been given to me countless times in the past. I shouldn't have felt a stab of pain in my heart at the though of the word past. That's what everything was now. The past. There was no going back. Somehow, that was worse than changing into a wolf. In the blink of an eye, everything I had once known was changed forever. What use was there grieving over spilt milk? None. None at all.

My eyes were unfocused on Seth, blurred around the edges from staring in one spot for so long. I hadn't noticed that everyone had took a seat, either looking at me or their –our- alpha. There was an uncomfortable silence lingering in the air. I had enough common sense to know I was the cause of this awkwardness. It was exciting to know I was about to be part of a pack meeting or just the topic of conversation. A first for me in many ways.

Leah came through the door while I was pondering and I followed her movements as she took a seat beside Seth. Who had left to get her? I couldn't remember anyone who went missing, but I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the moment- I let that thought slide. Leah didn't look up at me when she sat down, though, I could tell her eyes were shifting in my direction every few seconds. I was glad there was no hostility in her expression, it made her look different, drastically so.

Sam cleared his throat, "We're all here. I know you have questions, we'll get to them in a minute." He paused and his eyes settled on Leah, "Any change?"

"No." She replied in monotone- steering clear of his gaze.

This confused me. What were they talking about? My heart sped up as a sudden thought occurred to me. Paul wasn't here, the lone chair my feet were propped up in stayed empty- that would be where he would have sat. Had something happened to him? Is that why he wasn't here? He should be here. He's apart of the pack. Those few questions kept repeating themselves. A merry-go-round of endless questions, all with no answers.

He nodded once, "Let's get this over with."

It was an open floor then. Was it just limited to everyone else asking their questions or could I ask mine? With sudden chagrin, I knew I needed to wait. I could always pull Sam away from everyone and ask him myself. That seemed like a good plan…during the first few seconds. Why should I want to know about Paul? Why should I care if he's hurt or not? I mentally scoffed. I didn't. I would _not_ care.

The dream from earlier came back to me. The endless pit of blackness, my memory completely erased, but with the intuition that I was looking for someone. I had forgotten about him- and everyone else for that matter- for a certain amount of time. I pictured him in my head, just to remind myself, his build tall and strong, thick arms, and a broad chest with rippling muscles, anyone would kill to his have physique. He was an invincible tower, a protector, a force to be trifled with- at least in the emotional department. Next, I pictured his face and the way his hair hung in disarray around his features, brown chunks that could never corporate- I doubted he even tried to do anything with his hair- except for that one time, our date. Only there were no features to go with his body. His face, once strong and handsome was not there. It was blurred, just like my distant memories.

All of it sunk in.

I cared. I cared even more now that I couldn't remember his face. I cared because I had fallen for him- intentional or not. Not knowing, not remembering sent that familiar pang of terror through my heart. That stupid urge made me want to seek him out and demand to know why he wasn't here. A thought stopped me dead in my tracks though. I wasn't the girl that fawned over a guy she liked. That girl was nonexistent. I bit back a dark, hysterical laugh. No, that girl was dormant; she was in here with me, whether I liked it or not. Paul had awoken the part of me I didn't want to let out. Because of that, that made me 'that girl'.

Suddenly I was on my feet. I _was_ going to seek him out. This is what the new Evie would do- she wouldn't take not being here for an answer and neither would I. It was my turn to go to him.

I was completely unaware of anything around me, until I felt a hand on my upper arm. It was normal temperature, but when I turned, Jake staring at me with a bemused expression. My left hand was holding the front door open and my torso was halfway out the door.

"What'd I say to upset you?" His pitch black orbs burned into mine and his brows shot up to his hair line, "Whatever I said. Sorry." He apologized quickly.

Oh. Had I walked out right when he was talking? A few more heads stuck around the side of Jacob, getting a good look at me. Apparently, they thought I was mad. "Actually, I didn't hear anything you said." I bit my lip and looked back toward the door leading outside. I was so close.

"Then why are you leaving?" Piped Seth.

My head whipped around and my eyes widened, "Uh. Something came up. An important something." I stuttered, hoping my pleading eyes would be enough to convey that I had somewhere important to get to.

"More important than a pack meeting?" Jacob asked, not so amused anymore. He didn't look mad, he looked as if he knew where I was going to go.

"It's. Well, see, uh," I gave one more longing glance toward the outside and sighed in defeat. I'd have to get out on my own terms, "I guess not." I curled into myself, hoping to appear small, and hoping pity would be spared on me and Jacob would ask me if I wanted to go for a walk.

That didn't happen. Nothing happens when you want it to. When I had once again taken my seat, the questions fired. More than I was expecting were asked, but they were all fairly simple in the beginning, but then the jibes and teasing started.

"How long have you known?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"You're still gonna cook for us, right?"

"You better have a bunch of clothes!"

"Jared is going to get his ass kicked. Can I switch my vote?"

Little comments continued, until Sam felt compelled to speak.

"Evelyn." I cringed and looked over at him, "This has been well thought out. It would be best if you weren't to live with your mom anymore."

"Not to mention she decimated her room." Coughed Jared and smiled smugly in my direction.

I ignored Jared, "Where will I live then? Here?" That was an appalling thought. You couldn't pay to me to live under the same roof as Sam and his imprint- while having supersonic hearing. That spelled disaster.

Sam's calm face made me nervous, "No. You're moving in with Paul."

I felt my mouth drop and hit the floor. I was supposed to live with Paul? Seriously? How stupid is Sam- going on and on about rules and putting his foot down on indecent thoughts and then he goes and puts us together? In the same house nonetheless. Was he asking for trouble? Did he want the teenage pregnancy rating to spike? Eh, that was a little much, but seriously?

"She's in shock." I heard Collin say through my tunnel hearing. Everything felt far away and filtered- a distant hallow ringing was sounding in my ears.

"Five says she'll rip the table apart." Embry said smoothly.

"You're on." I heard a bunch chorus.

"Ten says it'll remain intact." Jacob spoke up.

Collin snorted, "High expectations, Jake? A little much, don't you think?"

My eyes started to sting from not blinking and I stopped listening to the banter around me, "What?" My voice spiked to a deafening high note- it hurt my ears and I shuddered.

"Tomorrow." Sam added, once again appraising me with a wary look.

"Tomorrow." I echoed. "I think you're jumping the gun, Sam. Is this really a good idea? Putting Paul and I in the same house?" Sam was already shaking his head back and forth. This couldn't be set in stone.

"Geez, Eve's. He's already asked you to move in with him. You would have done it eventually." There was a double meaning to Brady's words.

It sent me into shock waves- angry and hard. "You don't know what you're talking about." I said through clenched teeth.

Multiple hands were on me and a cool breeze hit me along with the La Push rain. I heard the pack breathing, steady and rhythmic, the sounds of the crickets, singing their sad tunes had completely stopped, and the erratic pitter patter of the rain- all of which was deafened by my labored breathing. It was like fighting a panic attack, deep breaths, a stabbing pain in your chest, and the knowing that no matter how hard I try, I wouldn't be able to stop it.

I wanted to cry again- to just cry all this anger out and not turn into a big furry gremlin. I tucked my head between my knees and let out a furial scream that was knotting my lungs. It pierced the air and tortured my already splitting head. Someone should just shoot me and put me out of misery. It would be a lot healthier than dealing with this.

"Relax." I heard Sam say, it wasn't a demand, merely a request- it was awful how I could differentiate the two.

Good one, Sam. Good one.

"Brady why couldn't you keep your damn mouth shut?" Jake hissed, it was a halfhearted scolding.

"S'not my fault." Brady defended and then laughed, "We were all thinking it."

A hot spear shot down my spine and before I had time to control it, my body was breaking. It was fast, faster than last time, but the tearing sensation was still there. The excruciating pain ripped through my head as my transformation neared it's completion. It was swift and painful, but the outcome was the same. I stood on all fours, ripped clothing surrounding me, while I snarled at Brady.

He just stared at me and held his hands up in defeat. Was I not threatening? Did I look like a freakin' wiener dog or something? I meant to yell at him, but it came out in loud snaps and barks.

"Gah, sorry! Sorry!" He apologized.

"_You had better be sorry_." I growled a warning and backed up to the underbrush, keeping my eyes on him until I reached the cover of the foliage. "_Argh! Stupid pigheaded wolf boy!"_

There was absolutely nothing I could do, but pace and sulk. That's what I done. Back and forth, back and forth, a stoic march to the drumming rain. After pacing a few times I realized I wasn't alone in my head. If it wasn't for the little known fact that I was a wolf, I would swear I was insane. Either that or the body snatchers had sounded and something was being inserted inside me.

I followed their train of thought- it was faint, no certain focus, but for glimpse I saw that _I_ was the topic of thought- a prickling sensation made me almost giddy, but the anger was the far more potent emotion at the moment.

"_Evelyn_." Paul greeted solemnly, but his thoughts revealed he was actually happy he could talk to me. So much for the art of deception.

I didn't reply, but I'm sure he was listening to my internal ranting. After all, it was on the subject of Paul that I had exploded into a mass of fur. Not the exact reason, but reason enough.

"_Not my fault_." He argued. "_He really should have shut his mouth though_."

"_Get out of my head!" _

"_I really don't understand. Weren't you coming to see me?" _He asked while replaying my thoughts from earlier over again.

If it had been possible for a wolf to blush, that's what I'd be doing right about now. "_Shut your trap."_

"_You _do_ like me." _Paul was smug with this new found knowledge, but he wasn't actually thinking about it. He was blocking that part of his thoughts off from me.

A shimmer was felt in the air as someone phased.

"_Uh-oh. Am I interrupting a lovers spat?"_ Said the last person I wanted to hear. Brady.

"_You're close enough that I could make you infertile." _I growled as he sauntered my way, seemingly unaffected by my threat.

"_Hey, I'm the good guy. I came to apologize."_ He stopped right in front of me and gave me a grin, revealing his incisors. I was taken aback for just a second- I was almost the same height as Brady. Just how tall was I?

I recovered from my shock,_ "Right. You felt the need to apologize twice. Somehow, I feel that's bullshit."_ I gave my own grin back.

"_Aw, Eves, don't be like that."_

"_I'm already on it Brady."_ Paul said in an aggravated tone, "_You can go back."_

I didn't understand at first and then it hit me_, "Babysitting!? Are you kidding me? I don't need a sitter." _I took a snap at Brady making him yelp and jump back a couple of feet.

"_Bosses orders." _Brady supplied, giving us the run-down of what Sam had said, along with orders that Paul was to phase back.

"_Should've known."_ Paul grumbled, _"I'll see you when you move in, Evelyn." _He added with a condescending laugh.

I ignored him with childish antics. I wasn't going to get myself riled up, I had plenty of time to do that when I phased back. Paul's presence faded and I was left with the number one reason of why I was stuck in this mess.

"_Don't say it so negatively." _Brady said happily.

A hefty sigh escaped my lungs. There was nothing to do and even though the anger was redirected while being in wolf form, it was still there. _"What's there to do, huh? I can't just sit still."_ I was pacing once again.

Brady was struck with an idea- more like he was extremely curious and just wanted to see if he could win.

Anticipation filled my body and my legs were begging for me to start already, _"If I win- well, I'll find something for you to do."_ He would owe me big time.

"_Same here."_ Thoughts of bacon, hamburgers, fries, and gallons of ice cream filled his head. It reminded on how hungry I actually was, it rumbled in displeasure. _"Go!" _Brady shouted excitedly and sped off.

"_What? Argh!"_ I growled in my head and my body lurched forward. My legs were long, built for speed and agility. The muscles worked together, carrying me faster and faster until I was running right beside Brady, no effort used whatsoever. _"You play dirty."_ I accused and pushed forward, leaving him behind in a trail of leaves and dirt. Trees zoomed past me in blobs of green and grey, the forest animals didn't appear, I was the predator. It was the feeling of freedom, of being on top of the world, absolutely exhilarating.

"_Eves. Slow down."_ Brady cautioned. I was nearing the edge of the La Push border- where the cliffs were.

"_Why?"_ I asked puzzled.

That same frightening face from the other night shot through my mind, my claws racked into the ground propelling me into a spin, and my heart stopped and sputtered, increasing in tempo. I saw the chase the wolves went through, but the leech hit the cliffs. Cliffs. Oh, shit. My ears perked for any movement besides the wolf closing in behind me.

"_It got away." _I stated through my shock. It was still out there. What was it waiting for? Me? I whimpered. Yes, it was waiting for me.

"_Don't worry, Eves. We got your back."_ Brady stopped beside me, panting, not seemingly disturbed at all that there was a vampire on the loose, bent on my immortality- in permanent frozen way with no chance of aging.

Fear had entered my limbs, making it hard to walk in the graceful pattern that came with this new territory; instead, it was a jerky movement. _"Can we go back?" _

"_The wolf-girl is scared?"_ He taunted, _"Figures."_

And then came the uncontrollable rage.

I pounced on him and bit into his shoulder, crunching down until I hit the bone, and making him to yelp out in pain. It was unexpected that I would react like this, but hell, Brady deserved it. I would beat the crap out of him, and deal with whatever Sam dished out to me later. Brady took a mouthful of my leg in and chomped down, which sent me recoiling off of him. He didn't spare me anytime to recover when he charged. My new found agile-ness helped me out, and I neatly cleared his attack.

We circled each other, our eyes locked, and our posture tense and ready, hackles raised in anticipation. A fight was what I was looking for and I was getting it. Brady was calculating my moves or how I should move- I had no plan. I wasn't a plan and then do kind of girl, I did what felt naturally, playing on my emotions and instincts for help.

"_Afraid, wolf-boy?" _

"_Not as much as you will be, wolf-girl." _He once again charged, and right as I dodged his paw connected with my chest, sending me smacking into a tree and onto my side. _"Sams gonna kill me." _He moaned.

I let out loud barks as I thought and rolled up onto my feet, _"Not if I kill you first."_ Nimbly, I darted to his side and rammed my weight into his shoulder, barely throwing him off balance. It hurt me more than it did him.

Brady whipped around and tackled me to the ground, pinning me there. His teeth were barred, inches from my throat. Daring me to do something. I barked a warning and tried to get a mouthful of his foot, which was holding me down. This was something I didn't have on him, weight. From my movements I could tell I was as lean as my legs, I had no chance with a wolf at least two times my weight.

His sharp teeth sank into my shoulder and then he pulled back, satisfied that he had won. _"Now what were you saying?" _He asked smugly as I howled once in pain.

I whimpered and pulled myself into a sitting position. It hurt to move my shoulder. I could see the blood coating my fur, matting it together in tangled patterns. My pure white fur was now stained with grass and dirt, an ugly sight mixed in with the red liquid. All I wanted now was a boiling hot bath, fixed with various bubbles and smell good soaps.

My wounds were already healing and I started to limp back to the house, ignoring Brady just as I had Paul. He whined, begging me to talk to him, saying, "I was only giving you a dose of your own medicine." What a load of bull.

Arriving back at the Uley house wasn't so bad, but what was waiting for us made me want to hide under a blankie. Between Brady's injury and mine, it couldn't compare to the cold, hard, steel glare from Sam. He didn't actually _say_ anything, just looked at us as we held our heads down in shame. It wasn't right for me to have taken my anger out on Brady, but it sure felt good, and I _wasn't_ going to apologize.

From then on, the shifts traded off between Seth, Jake, Quil, and Embry. Brady wasn't included in any of them. Besides, how could I take on a monstrous wolf like Jake and live to tell the tale? The point is, it was set up like this to keep me from taking my anger out on them. The bigger the threat, the less likely that I'd want to bite it. Or at least that was theory. And it worked. I knew that _I_ didn't want either of the four getting a good whack at me.

--

Four days passed. Four long days and nights. Each accompanied by one of my four designated babysitters. Even with their constant encouragement and promises that I would change back. I didn't. It was beyond frustrating watching them phase back and forth. Not that I _was_ watching. It just irked me that they could switch so fast, it was unfair and had me down in the dumps.

It was Quils turn again. He wasn't so bad, kinda nice and even tempered now that I was getting to know him. That was more than I could say for myself. It didn't matter how many times I whined that I couldn't concentrate, he kept encouraging me. Not that it helped. I was still in the same predicament.

Occasionally, one of the guys brought human food out for me, which I gobbled up. I refused to hunt for deer, or squirrels or anything kind of animal. Just because I was a wolf didn't mean I had to act like one. Though Collin thought he was funny when he brought out a bowl of dog food, Kibbles 'n Bits to be exact, in place of my regular meal. I got a good chunk of his hand in my mouth before he could retract it. The best part was that I got away with it; he just muttered an oath under his breath and walked away. I had wanted another fight though. The rush was amazing, but I probably wouldn't feel that way if I had got beaten to a pulp the last time.

That left me with sitting on the forest floor feeling sorry for myself. I would definitely have permanent lines etched into my face after this.

Quil huffed, not in annoyance, but trying to suppress his laughter. The visual in my head wasn't helping it either. _"Maybe you should try to imagine yourself as being human?"_ Quil suggested.

"_Once more. If it doesn't happen, I'm resigning that I'll be a wolf for the rest of my life."_

"_Go, Evelyn!"_ He cheered, which had me cracking a wolfish smile. Quil was so weird.

I closed my eyes and let my mind drift. I focused on myself as if I were looking in a mirror. The long legs, connected to the torso, dangly limbs that swung back and forth, and my head, cocked to the side with a curious expression. Next, I imagined my body realigning itself into human form, following the sample I set up. The air caught and I felt it billowing around me. Then my body shimmered. Changing back into it's original form.

Cautiously I opened my eyes. My butt was on the cold ground and my knees were squished in toward my chest, but I was pleasantly human again. A very naked human I might add. Thankfully, Leah, once again, had lent me a sun dress for whenever I changed back. I snatched it up, turning crimson, as I thought of Quil seeing me naked. Once one had seen, they all have seen. Eck.

It was such a joyful moment though! I thought it would never come.

"Freakin yes!" I screamed, my voice hoarse with disuse, "To be human again, only human again!" I sung and twirled around; ignoring the fact, I couldn't remember the 'Beauty and the Beast' lyrics properly. "We'll be dancing again! We'll be twirling again!" I broke out into the running man, enjoying the feel of my legs and hand movements. Never again would I take them for granted.

The only thing that stopped me were the snickers coming from behind me. Quil had already phased back, so my four regulars were there, along with an amused Sam.

"What?" I asked, honestly curious. Each shook their head, smiling secret smiles, "I know. Awesome dance moves." I waved them off and started again, reaching for Seth's arm so I could have a dance partner. I skipped around, practically pulling Seth behind me as I belted out songs.

"Well, it's no Swan Lake." Boomed Embry with a laugh.

"You're just jealous I didn't pick you to dance with me." I winked at him and halted my movements.

"It would be too much for you to handle." His eyebrow rose and his hands motioned toward his body, flaunting his bare chest and shimmying his hips.

I couldn't help the snort that slipped out and I quickly covered my mouth, "Sorry Embry." I snorted again in my laughter, but my words wouldn't form as I tried to contain my fit. Seth patted my back as I leaned over, my hand on my stomach, rumbling with laughter.

"Evelyn." Sam called me to attention, though I wasn't quite over the giggles, "We should head to Paul's."

With those five words, I was sobered up instantly. That happy feeling turned into dread. Lines of horror wrinkled my face as I shrieked, "What?!"


	24. I Cannot Believe I Just Did That

Do me a huge favor and listen to the "Untouchable" Cover by Taylor swift (YouTube it). It inspired quite a bit of this, actually a lot, because it is so similar to Evie and Paul's relationship. :) AH, and The Used, "I Caught Fire (In Your Eyes)".

* * *

I was shocked. Again.

How much longer would it be until I needed a defibrillator or a life alert pendant? If this kept up, my heart was surely going to be a pile of nothing. Right now, my heart was cold, cold as stone and unmoving. It kept stalling until I took in gigantic breath of air, replenishing the oxygen that had whooshed out of my lungs.

The guys were used to my, as they deemed, 'over reactions'. It didn't stop them from worrying though. How often did a wolf croak right on the spot? Just dead? It didn't happen often or at all for that matter. I was going to make history one day.

"Right now?" I whispered, digging my hand into Seth's arm, where I was still attached.

Sam nodded the mask was back. He wasn't showing me how he truly felt about the arrangement. He was the one that made it, it's his fault.

The sun was setting. I hadn't noticed till now. That meant I was spending the night, my _first _night there would be during the night. It wasn't comforting. Meeting Paul for the first time since days ago, talking to him for the first time since days ago, seeing him for the first time since days ago, I felt overwhelmed.

"Evie." Seth murmured, trying to pry my fingers from his arm.

"Sorry." My hand was like a recoiling snake, wanting to just latch onto him and never let go. That was how afraid I was, I knew what was bound to happen, "If I don't come back will you avenge my death?"

Seth rolled his eyes and patted my hand, "You'll be fine."

"You have to promise." I pressed, biting the side of my cheek.

"Promise."

"Even if that means taking out half the pack?" I questioned, raising my brow, and keeping my laugh in. If anything I didn't feel like laughing, but Seth made everything fun.

He looked worried on how he should answer and his lips pressed into a tight line.

"If you asked me to avenge your death I would take out half the pack…" I trailed off, "I'd take 'em out to dinner." I grinned at my idiotic joke and Seth poked me in my side, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Come on." Sam called. He was already walking toward the road.

"Take care, Evie." Seth said with a dimply smile.

I gave him a hug, clinging to him tightly in that brief moment. His arms wound around me and pulled me closer, "Yeah, yeah. I'm going into the wolfs lair and all you have to say is 'take care, Evie!' You should be telling me to bring a sword or something, or maybe use the force!" I chuckled as I untangled myself from him and began to job backwards.

"You're not Luke Skywalker." He whined.

"Way to ruin it." I pouted and turned around, spinning on my heel.

"May the force be with you!" He said through the other guys' laughter. Clearly, they were enjoying the little show.

"I dunno whether to call you Obi-Wan or Han."

"Definitely Yoda."

"Yoda. Fitting." I snickered and ran to catch up with Sams long strides. It wasn't the place I wanted to be, walking with my brother to my…well, Paul's, house. "So, Sam. Or alpha brother? Or high and mighty alpha Sam? What am I supposed to call you now?" Or hey, Darth Vader, lets keep with the Star Wars theme. I blushed. Right, there's a good way to get on your alphas good side. Be sarcastic while you're talking about his name, what a wonderful thing I did.

"Just Sam."

I nodded happy he wasn't taking me seriously, and looked at our height difference. Had I grown a few more inches? I never wanted to be tall. I was always content being short and able to climb on things to get to them. The fun was over for that. "I'm not going to get any taller am I?"

A thoughtful look replaced his cold, hard mask, "There's really no telling."

"Great." I muttered.

Silence settled around us. Every step, every heartbeat, I was getting more and more nervous. We were heading down a long path, it twisted at the corner veering sharp to the right. The first thing I made out was my Jeep, the silvery paint shining in the falling sun. Someone other than myself had driven it. I resisted the urge to check it over for damage or suspicious holes. No one drives my Jeep unless they have a ligament excuse. Another vehicle was beside it, an off-road Jeep Wrangler, flaming red in color, and still relatively new. It rivaled mine in almost every way. Then I saw the house.

It was a quaint old house. A pale yellow, obviously faded and worn, a candy cane tin roof, with a large rounded porch. A porch swing rested peacefully to the side and wild flowers lined the sides of the structure. The house wasn't big, but definitely bigger than the place I was living at before. I could deal with change. At least I really hoped I could.

I whistled under my breath. Paul had a really nice place left to him.

Sam barged right into the house, not bothering to knock. How typical. I clung behind Sam, using him as my own personal werewolf shield. I had to defend off the dark force somehow.

"Hey, Paul." Sam called, just as he appeared. I saw Pauls arm from around Sams massive body, but that was it. That was the most that I wanted to see.

"Sam." Paul sounded excited, "Evelyn?"

"Mhm?" I hummed. I didn't trust my voice.

Sam grunted and slid his arm around my shoulders pulling me forward and out in the open. I kept my head and eyes down, focusing on our feet and not anything else.

Paul laughed; I could feel it even from the few feet he stood away. It resounded throughout my body. I liked it. A lot more than I should have. "Evelyn. Evelyn." He cooed. I saw his feet shuffle forward. Immediately on reflex, I scooted back, bumping into Sam who just pushed me back toward Paul. I felt like a rag doll, or kick ball, or maybe both. Definitely both.

Then I felt the warmth on my cheek. The fire. The inferno of flames, so hot that my head snapped up on its own accord. I really wish I had thought it through before looking up.

Time erased itself.

I was caught up in several emotions, happiness, sadness, fear, they all intertwined as I stared into Paul's deep brown eyes, so much more alive and vibrant than I had ever seen before. He was like a brilliant rainbow, glowing and beautiful, so impeccably high in the sky, so wide amongst the ground like anchors, I was afraid I would never reach him. That, in an instant, the rainbow would be gone and I would be left with the dull, aching weather, while waiting in vain for him to make his reappearance.

His hypnotic eyes that made me weak in my stomach offered me a glimpse into his soul, everything he saw in me, his dreams, and his feelings. I saw what I meant to him. Just a tiny peek of what could be. I was abruptly flashed back to the time where I daydreamed about growing old with him. My wolf, my tower, my protector. I saw it all. And like a vortex, there was no more gravity it was snatched away from beneath my feet. I had been living on artificial gravity this whole time, false air, everything I had ever known was false. There was only Paul.

He replaced every need- every uncontrollable want and urge was his for the taking. I had never wanted anyone so bad. I was vulnerable, completely caught up in Paul. He was burning brighter than anything I had ever seen.

Stars collided.

The sun exploded.

The world crashed.

Everything in his eyes said "Be the one I'm looking for."

And I wanted to answer with "I'm the one you're looking for."

I retraced his features, memorizing them, never wanting to lose them again- to wake up and realize I didn't know what he looked like anymore. I knew right then I didn't want to lose his face. I didn't want to lose him.

The world that was once spinning in slow motion sped up and I let out a huge gust of air. The butterflies in my stomach were threatening to bring me to my knees. This was the kind of feeling I couldn't fake. It was an intense, supernatural kind of feeling, where all he had to do was cradle my hand and I would never breathe again.

I blinked a few times and shut my eyes and reopened them. My world refocused with it's bright clarity. Sam was gone. How long had I just been aimlessly staring at Paul? I didn't have time enough to ponder that question.

"Let's go take a look at your room." Paul was acting as if nothing had happened, and yet the entire time he had held my gaze.

I nodded numbly as he reached out and took my hand. It sent jolts of electricity through my spine. My fingers responded by clutching around his, melding them together.

Paul still sounded extremely excited. This was just another one of his sides, "So, as you can see this is the living room. Not much in here, but Cable and movies. Oh, right in there- Hey, are you even listening?"

"Sorry, what?" I shook my head, trying to make sense of the last few minutes of my life as it replayed for me.

He sighed heavily, "I'll give you the tour tomorrow." He led me down a large hallway that held two doors, one on the left, and the other on the right. Paul motioned to the one on the left, "This is your room."

The door creaked open and I was faced with a large room with gigantic windows that almost reached the floor. The walls were painted beige and my furniture lined the spacious room. Boxes were stacked up on one another in neat rows and a full-sized bed was in the middle, complete with white sheets, and pillows.

"You're mom boxed up your stuff and the pack helped move the furniture in here."

"Thanks." I whispered.

"You hungry? There's plenty of food."

I shook my head again, never looking at him. Anywhere but at him. "No, I'm gonna turn in."

"Ah, okay. Well, this is your home too. Make yourself comfortable." He hesitated for a moment and dropped my hand heading back from where we had come.

My hand stung without him holding it. It one of those throbbing, pounding, _piercing_ pains, the kind that no medicine could alleviate. The kind that would fester and burn until the source of the pain came back to heal it.

I gritted my teeth as I shut the door. There were things I needed: food, a shower, a change of clothes, and space. At least I was getting one of the four. The bed was fluffy, it felt comfortable, but that didn't mean anything as I laid back and curled up.

Imprinting. Imprinted. Various forms of the word twisted inside my head. I had imprinted. I winced unconsciously at the thought. There was no denying what I felt. There was no denying that imprinting magnified everything I had felt by thousands. It was a chemical bond, a spiritual bond, one predestined before the beginning of time. What was I supposed to do now?

The numbness had vanished and I was left with confusion. My brain worked to make sense of it all, but when I tried to retrieve a conclusion there wasn't one. This was one of those things where I had to take action and work it out. There would be no letting it solve itself on its own. It didn't work like that. Sometimes instead of finding what you want, you have to find what you need. Now that I had found that I needed, did that I mean I had found what I wanted?

Hours passed. Too many for me to keep count. Paul had already gone to bed, his door had closed, and I could hear his peaceful snores. And yet I had been in bed since earlier and had not even gotten close to falling asleep. I carefully slipped out of bed and headed out of my room. It wasn't dark, moonlight filtered in through the large windows in the house, illuminating the path in front of me.

It was easier than I thought to find the kitchen. Just like the rest of the house, it was spacious. A large island was in the middle, with two cushioned bar stools. Stone tabletop lined the counters, and the floor was hardwood, as for the colors I couldn't tell, and I wasn't about to turn on a light.

Cereal was stuck on the top of the fridge and I grabbed the frosted corn flakes. Tony the Tiger was always one of my favorites. I had to ramble around for a few more minutes until I found a bowl and silverware. Stealth didn't apply to me. Every move I made was deafening, but when the milk hit the flakes and they started to crunch and pop, I knew it was just my supersonic hearing.

I sighed as I sat on a stool and began to mechanically chew mouthfuls of the grainy substance, bite after bite. Absently, I glanced over at the stove where a digital clock rested. A little after one in the morning. I groaned and dropped my spoon into the bowl and buried my head in my hands. This sucked. This really sucked.

My appetite was gone. So I just sat there, with my head cradled in my hands. The sounds of night filled my ears. It was relaxing. My eyelids started to steadily droop and my head felt extremely heavy and cloudy. Soon, my body slid into relaxed position beside the bowl. Some part of me told me to get up and go back to my room, but in the end, the lazy part won over.

"What am I gonna do with you?" I heard Paul mutter from behind me as his hands slipped around my shoulders and behind my knees.

I was far to gone to answer as I was hugged against his flaming chest. It wasn't uncomfortable, it was the exact opposite. He cradled me, and I heard him humming faintly, a tune unfamiliar to me. All too soon, I felt him lower me onto a fluffy bed and his lips brushed against my forehead. I missed what he said to me as I slipped into happier thoughts.

--

I awoke to an annoying beeping and a long string of profanities. The beeping hurt my ears and with a start, I realized it was the fire alarm. My body shot up, pin straight. I was back in my own bed. Right, Paul carried me here.

A burning smell hit my nose right as the alarm was turned off. Toast? Maybe pancakes? I hopped up and let my nose lead the way. The closer I got the worse it smelled. When I turned the corner for the kitchen, I saw Paul, desperately trying to flip pancakes, toast bread, and fry bacon, all at the same time.

I chuckled, "Need some help?" Without bothering for his reply, I took over the pancakes- smacking his hand away. They were beyond burnt, "These aren't any good."

"Are you sure?" I could hear the pout in Pauls voice without even looking at him.

"Pretty sure. Anymore batter left?"

Paul handed me the extra batter and I started to pour swirls of battery goodness onto the pan. He had the bacon and toast under control now, but as I glanced at his profile from the corner of my eye he looked sad.

"So, what's all this about?"

"I just figured I'd make you breakfast." His shoulders lifted and fell, "But I screwed up the pancakes."

A smile tugged itself upon my lips, I couldn't help it. "You were juggling too much. Could have happened to anyone."

"Still-"

"No harm done." I insisted and flipped a fluffy circle.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but our silence as the bacon popped and sizzled. Occasionally, I'd flip a pancake, put it on a plate and make a new one. I leaned on the counter by the stove and looked at his face. There was that same shock- that gut wrenching and absolutely beautiful shock that had me smiling softly. It was an odd feeling to know that your soul mate was right in front of you.

"I know you're looking at me." Paul said amusedly.

I scowled, "So? Your point?"

He turned, looking at me head on with a flirtatious smile, "No point at all." His free hand reached out for mine, hooking it into an unbreakable shackle, though, I could break it if I really wanted to, but that's beside the point.

I turned away from him before he could see the gigantic grin that was forming rapidly and refocused all my attention on the batter in front of me that was cooking. I didn't need a mirror to know that a crimson blush was painted on my cheeks. I felt like a teenybopper. One who was standing right in front of their favorite pop star, waiting for them to drop their tissue so they could put it in a Ziploc bag and treasure it. Well, it was a bit more complicated than that, more than just common infatuation.

We spent the meal in almost utter silence. My hand was back, dropped, so Paul could eat his food faster. He had used half a container of syrup on his pancakes, drowning it over his bacon as well. It was beyond disgusting. His reply to that was, "It all goes to the same place any way."

Side by side we ate. Even though I was hungry, I refused to stuff my face like a _dog_. Manners still applied to me, but I wasn't opposed to folding my pancakes up and stuffing them in my mouth. Though I tried to do so with good grace.

After finishing off my second helpings and dumping my plate into the sink, I knew I needed a much deserved shower. Grit lined my hair, tangling it into a heap at the base of my skull. It was itchy, and if I didn't know any better I would swear I had fleas. I had to look awful. Paul could handle the dishes; after all, I was the guest. "Where's the bathroom?"

He looked up, a piece of toast halfway to his mouth, and gestured for me to follow him. I was led back to the hallway and he pointed straight in front of us, "There."

I rolled my eyes. It was simple enough to find just like everything else in the house, "Towels?"

His mouth formed a circle and I could swear his face was tinged pink. Paul cleared his throat once, "There, uh, on a shelf. Easy to find."

"Alrighty." As I started to skip off, I suddenly realized I had forgotten something. Paul gave me a confused look, as I turned and sauntered my way back toward him; his toast was still uneaten in his right hand. "Thanks for breakfast." And then I pecked his cheek and sped off toward my room, not looking back for a second glance.


	25. A Heart to Heart, more like a Stabbing

Awkward. Adjective. Definition: socially uncomfortable, unsure, and constrained in manner.

Yup, that about sums up the situation I'm in. For about an hour, Paul and I have been watching 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys', usually I would be happy camper. Not this time. Not only are we not talking or bantering about the characters, we're not even watching it. I've been too busy watching Pauls movements and he's been to preoccupied with wanting to sit beside me. Subtly, he'll slide over some- not even a centimeter- and then he'll wait, and do it all over again. It's not my problem that I sat on the other end of the couch and he didn't have the courage to just get up and sit beside me.

He scooted over some more- just a centimeter like before. I couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh, "Paul…"

"Caught me." A smile was in his voice. He was enjoying this. It was just one big game for him, I'm not sure if I liked it or hated it.

I tried really hard to be mad. Really, I did. I just couldn't though. If anything, I was mad at myself for not being mad at him. This was unfair to the highest degree possible. Was I just mentally incapable of being mad at him anymore? No, I refused to believe that, my sleepless night was catching up on me and taking a toll on my brain. That was the problem. A lethargic feeling was taking over my body.

When I moved to get up and completely ignore Paul to the best of my ability, an arm secured itself around my waist. Before I knew it, my head was on top of Pauls chest and I was on top of Paul. Not good.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, my words came out a bit slurred as half of my mouth was squished inward.

"What do you think _you're_ doing?" Paul repeated. His eyebrows were raised in a provocative manner and his eyes raked downwards.

I set my jaw in a stubborn lock before a gasp could escape my lips, "If _that's_ what you think we're doing, you're highly mistaken." My voice was reedy, too high, and snippy. It didn't sound like me.

"Someone's overly defensive." He was teasing me, trying to get me worked up. I don't blame him, fighting is what we're best at.

"Well, if _someone_ wasn't trying to _molest_ me with their eyes..." I trailed off, happy that his breathing hitched. I turned my head so I could see him better, my chin now resting in the place my cheek once was. The grin on my face could probably rival the Cheshire Cats', "Did I say something wrong?"

He cleared his throat a few times, as his eyes penetrated mine, "Believe me," He whispered, "I wouldn't _have_ to molest you." There was a raw emotion there- want, need, lust- all for me. I was the one controlling his needs. Never again would any girl, any _woman, _have that right.

I gulped, that wiped the smile right off my face. I didn't have a response and to say I was scared shitless was an understatement.

"Now, where did you think you were going?" He asked changing the subject, as he placed a chastise kiss on my temple.

"To take a nap." I mumbled in a low voice, hyper aware of the hot security blanket I was laying on.

His fingers started to shift through my short hair, twirling it into spinning curls, "Go to sleep here." He suggested slyly.

"You wish." I growled. I was actually extremely comfortable- considering I was laying on top of teenage boy with hormones that sky rocket through the roof. Or should I say man? Was Paul a boy or a man? He was a man with boyish tendencies, that was the only way to describe him. "Don't get any ideas." I snuggled my face against his chest and listened to his heart drum a lullaby, my lullaby. If possible, I wished that things would always stay like this. Simple, uncomplicated by all the little things that normally would get in the way.

Pauls body relaxed around mine, molding into a perfect bed made just for me. "I'll keep that in mind." A hefty sigh escaped his lungs.

He had won this battle, I though incoherently, but he hasn't won the war.

--

"Let go of me!" I screeched into Pauls ear. He shot straight up, unfortunately bringing me with him. His hold didn't loosen, "Let go. Let go!" I cried.

"What are you fussing about?" His lids were dropping slowly, "Go back to sleep." His body flopped back down, sinking deep into the cushions. Hot irons were on the bare skin of my back, I resisted the urge to shiver at the close contract.

"I swear to God, Paul. If you don't let me go…I'm going to go wolf girl on your ass." A deep growl built itself up in my throat- I could get used to these animal instincts.

"Ah, what is your problem? You're freaking out over nothing." Paul was wide awake now, taking in my mood and being extremely calm about it.

I narrowed my eyes, "Over nothing?" I hissed, enough anger coming out for the both of us.

"Again with this hot and cold." He growled, pulling me close so his lips were at my ear, "Just give in already."

Pauls legs secured mine in a twisted hold disabling them from thrashing around. A firm grip was still around my waist, burning the exposed skin there.

"Actually." His agile fingers hooked around my chin, bring it upwards towards his face, "I think you have already given in. The Evelyn I knew wouldn't have slept on me. She would have put up a fight." The breath of his last words fanned around us.

I jerked backwards. Paul let me go freely. "You stupid idiot." I mumbled when I was back on my own two feet. Paul saw the change in me. He saw the new Evie; the girl that admits her feelings goes after what she wants- Was I really that girl?

Paul casually pulled himself into a sitting position and looked at me. Not just any look, a soft, understanding look that fit the mans face he was becoming, "I see though that wall- that curtain you have between us. You're deceiving no one." He said fiercely, "Only yourself."

I wanted to shout that he was a liar that he didn't know anything, but I couldn't. I would be the liar in this conversation, like always. So, I did the only thing I was good at- the only I could do.

I ran away from him.

My legs pumped achingly toward the tree line near the house. Everything felt slow. I was slow. It was all in my head, of course, but it didn't change anything. Shrugging out of my clothes was harder than it looked and as I ran, I carelessly threw them onto the ground.

The animal in me released. Breaking free into my true form. Was I really just a monster? Even when I pretended to be human? Was I human anymore? What was I after all? I wanted to just be alone in my thoughts. If anyone was phased they could just piss off if they were.

"_Oh, harsh."_ Snickered Leah.

"_Not in the mood, Leah." _

"_Poor baby. You should just suck it up. It's annoying listening to you." _

"_Do us both a favor and phase back then."_ I snapped.

"_Not a chance."_

It was then I picked up on her trail of thought. Pain. Lots of knee crippling pain. It scarred her so deep you couldn't see it from the outside shell she wears. Collin? Ah, he said some things about Sam that set her off. A broken glass aimed right at his head…blood. He deserved it.

"_Hell yes he did."_ Leah wasn't happy I was picking around her thoughts, but we had some kind of wolf bond. Since I was a girl wolf and she was a girl wolf, well, that made her a tad bit nicer to me. Not that I wasn't appreciative. The eat-you-alive look can do a number on ones psyche.

I was already outside La Push- on the path toward the Makah reservation. The faint smell of Quil was everywhere. I knew where he spent the majority of his free time.

"_Disgusting."_ I heard Leah remark.

There was something else in Leahs tone that had me slowing down to a walk. She _wanted_ to imprint. She had already fallen in love the normal way- to have a trail and error relationship. It hadn't worked out so well for her the first time. But my imprinting was a wake-up call; she was in a way, resigned that the inevitable would happen and she was looking _forward_ to it. Leah wasn't a dead end anymore.

Leah silently agreed with my assessment, _"But I don't think I will imprint." _

Again, with Sams _stupid_ theory- I had heard all about it from Leah. Genetic override- drawn to the person who would give the best chance to pass on the wolf gene. What a load of bull.

"_He wasn't drawn to me. I'm no good. Maybe something's wrong with Seth too."_ Her thoughts turned extremely sour, _"Seth loves you. Loved you. Probably still does. He just too good at not showing it. You just had to go and imprint."_ I was glad I wasn't near her, she would have skinned and made a pretty fur coat out of me, then flaunted it to the rest of them.

"_It's not like I wanted this."_ A whine escaped my muzzle.

"_If you really loved him, you wouldn't have let imprinting stop you."_ She lashed.

"_I can't do anything about the way I feel now, Leah. So don't tell me "If I really loved him," I do love him, but imprinting makes it impossible to love with more than one person in any kind of way and Seth needs someone better than me. Much better than me."_ I trailed off, _"Maybe I'm the freak. The dead end."_

Leah snorted at the idea.

"_I'm serious, think about it. Maybe the werewolf gene I carry is weak. Who ever heard of two werewolves imprinting on one another? It's never happened. Maybe Paul and I are just too weak and we drawn to one another and maybe the gene you carry is to strong. It makes sense. I was always a sickly child and when I phased that quit, but maybe it's not genetic override. No. It's to have healthy children- that's my theory." _

Leahs anger simmered down, _"You thought that right off of the top of your head. So my genes to strong, huh? What am I looking for now? A fragile man in his late fifties?"_ She asked sarcastically.

"_You have to admit it's better than Sams."_ I laughed, heading my way back to La Push. I was getting antsy being away from protection.

"_It's hard to believe you think you're the freak." _

"_You might be the first girl wolf, but you didn't imprint on someone from the pack. That automatically makes my genes screwed up. I didn't imprint on normal person- just like Paul didn't imprint on a normal person. It's just one big math problem."_ I sighed, a huge gulp of air escaping from my enlarged lungs.

"_Maybe that makes you more normal." _She said solemnly, _"That means you're more human than the rest of us."_

It was my turn to snort, _"I imprint on another wolf and _that_ makes me normal? Jeez." _

"_I didn't say that. If what you're saying is true, then I'm less human-"_

I cut her off,_ "I didn't mean it that way, Leah."_

"_Doesn't change the fact that you could be right. Basically I'm looking for someone who's more human than me."_

"_Having this wolf gene- I don't…I don't think it makes us less human. It could, if we let it, but we're just as much human as the next person. We're just…possessed, in a way." _Such a casual use of the word possessed, but no haunted children came to mind, instead wolves and the past lives of those before stewed. I didn't want to admit it, but maybe I was more wolf like than the others, maybe my theory was wrong after all.

"_Speaking of genes,"_ Started Leah, not wanting to discuss that part of her –our- problems anymore, _"you have Alpha blood in you." _

This was the one thing I was hoping to avoid._ "So does Jacob." _

"_You're more likely to defy Sams orders." _

"_Just 'cause I'm new? What reason do I have for defying Sam? You want _me_ to become Alpha?" _The idea was appalling, _"You're that desperate?"_

"_I'm just predicting what's to come." _

"_Your prediction is the thing that's screwed up."_

"_Thanks." _

I rolled my eyes, _"Wasn't a compliment." _

"_I know."_

"_You're weird."_

"_The weirdest." _

Leah wasn't so bad underneath it all. She wasn't a harpy, she only pretended to be. She was in a sense…likeable.

"_Great. Just great. I'm _likeable_ now. Ugh." _She griped.

My anger had run it's course and talking with Leah, even though I didn't really solve anything, I knew that I was in the wrong this time. I was the one that had run from conversation, because it wasn't going my way. I ran away, much like Paul had in that distant memory of mine. I was turning into a female Paul, I concluded. Oh my God.

A mile or so away, I could hear Leah howling with laughter.

I was _never_ going to live that one down.

"_Never." _Snickered Leah, _"Oh, just _wait_ till everyone hears this."_

"_Stop making fun of me."_ I will not get mad, I will not get mad, I chanted over and over again.

"_Poor little, Evelyn. Too bad, you're the one who said it first."_

That was true, but it was a private thought. Something I don't have access to anymore. _"Leaving now."_ I muttered, digging out my clothes from the bushes where I had stashed them earlier.

A shimmer was felt in the air.

"_Could you be any louder, Leah_?" Embry complained.

She started to replay my thoughts over again and soon I could hear the yapping of Embry.

"_Y'all are _so_ immature." _I said, phasing quickly before I could listen to anymore of their commentary.

As I stormed back towards Pauls little snug house, I could hear the yowling of two hyenas. Leah and Embry. They just had to be eating this up. Well, screw them. Let them laugh and have their fun. If I got mad at every little thing that comes out of my mouth, I probably wouldn't have anymore clothes. Just deal and let bygones be bygones.

I entered through the back door, the door I had ran out of only a short time ago. It was childish, really. I was acting like a little brat being scolded by their parent. It hadn't really hit me till now, I was practically living on my own. By that alone means I'm an adult, but can I really say that? With my childish antics and tantrums. I needed to be a bit more responsible…

"You're back." Paul stated from his couch potato position.

"Yeah." Was my sheepish reply as I walked toward the end of where he was sitting.

"How was your run?" He asked nonchalantly.

This was…puzzling. It was almost if Paul was being nice, not just any kind of nice, the nice where you try to play it cool as if nothing is bothering you. "It was just like any other run." I said with a lift of my shoulders, shrugging it off as if it wasn't a big deal. If he wasn't going to play it up, neither was I.

"It was your first time phasing since a couple days ago, right? Quicker?"

"Yeah. A lot quicker. It's kinda easy now that I know what to do." But it doesn't make it any less scary.

"About earlier, I'm-"

"No, no. You were right. Totally right about me." I began in a big breath. _Just do it. Gosh, suck it up like Leah said,_ "I'm the one who's sorry. I should've known that running wasn't going to help and I didn't like it when you ran from me…so, sorry." I scratched the back of my head, it didn't sound like much of an apology. But how much could one person expect?

Pauls presence drew near me, he was scooting down the couch with a triumphant look in his eyes, "You like me, but you won't admit it. You do want to live with me, but you won't admit it. The question is…" He stopped and grabbed my hand, treasuring it in his bigger one as he looked up at me with glassy eyes, "Do you want to be with me?"

* * *

GASPPP. Oh yes he did just say that. –Bounces- I'm so excited you guys!!

Don't worry. I'm writing like a hawk.

**Oh, BTW, I've got my newest story posted. /shameless advertising.**


	26. Consequences of a Teenager in Love

Sometimes, in a serious moment or in a time of stress, we have a way of avoiding what makes us uncomfortable. We think that ignoring the question will ultimately make it go away or solve itself on its own. The truth is, in life, that's just not possible. No matter how hard we look the other way it's still there. It will always be there until we confront it head on and deal with the consequences of pushing it away and acting like it never existed. And sometimes, the consequences are far worse than if you had never avoided it in the first place.

--

"Are you drunk?" I asked seriously, as I sniffed the air around me. Nothing smelled different. It could be that he was on some odorless drug. Hey, it happened on TV, why couldn't it be applied to real life?

"Do I look drunk?" He retorted angrily.

"Well you sure sound like it."

"How does wanting to confess my feelings make me drunk? Can I not ask you a serious question without you avoiding and mocking it?" Pauls anger was reaching a high, but he wasn't shaking or yelling. He was completely under control. He took a long, deep breath as I just stood there, dumbfounded, "I love you, Evelyn. I love you so much that I _can't_ get you off my mind. I _don't_ want to get you off my mind. But you don't love me, do you? What can I do? I've tried _everything_. Help me out. Please." Paul begged as he buried his face into my palms. "Please."

The soft feathery touches of his lips were caressing my fingers. It made it difficult to think. But one thing stuck out to me. It frightened me and burned my bones- charred them to ashes, "You don't think I love you?" My voice came out as strangled as I felt.

Paul gazed up at me with an unwavering steely look, "No, I don't."

A part of me shattered. Suddenly, my insides were made of the finest glass and as they cracked, the shards embedded themselves deep into my heart, creating a fissure that made me ache. There was a need to defend what I knew, of what I wanted. I knew what I wanted- I was that girl. I was ready to become that girl, "_Really?_ I'm here aren't I? I'm not off somewhere else- I'm not with someone else. How can I put this where you'll understand it?" I traced the lines beside his mouth and cupped my hand around his strong jaw.

He beat me to the punch, "You're here because Sam told you to."

"I'm here because I'm stuck on you asshole. I love you."

The sounds of the world stopped. Even the drizzle of the rain was nonexistent. The only thing I could hear was the labored breathing coming through my nose. War planes could have zoomed overhead and I would never have noticed.

My thoughts and emotions were absorbed on the seemingly lifeless Paul. He didn't seem fazed by my words as he dropped my hands and stood up. Never once did he look away from me, "I don't believe you." My chin started to quiver uncontrollably.

He didn't believe my words.

He didn't believe _me_.

I had pushed him away so much he couldn't see when I was telling the truth.

No.

_No._

"You might _think_ you do, but you only think that way because you imprinted. You haven't discovered what you truly feel."

That was the last straw. Without thinking, my arm automatically reached up and with the flick of the wrist, I slapped him. Flesh against flesh. Bone against bone. The sickening slap echoed in the room, sounding more like thunder than a slap.

"You really are an asshole." I said through the oncoming tears, "How can _you_ say that? How can _you_ call me out when _all _of your feelings are based on just that? At least I got to talk to you before I did, to kiss you, to hug you. I got to fall in love the normal way. What gives you the right to say that I'm not in love with you? Well here's something for you to think about, you're only in love with me, you're only here with me cause _you_ imprinted." I slung his words back at him in shrilling yell. He couldn't say that to me. He couldn't. I hoped it hurt him as bad as it hurt me.

It wasn't fair. I finally knew what I wanted. I finally knew what I needed. Was fate going to be so cruel? Was everything coming to bite me back in the butt? Had I done more harm than good? After all this time, my fairytale was coming true, but the magic was fading. Dimmer and dimmer and dimmer. Until there was a black pit that I would never be able to climb out of.

So, this time. This time I didn't run away. I stood my ground and I let him see my tears. I let him hear my sobs. I let him feel how bad his words hurt me. If I ran away now, I would _never_ come back. This awful dead feeling- I wish it would go away. It hurt too much.

When his tower-like arms wrapped around me, I didn't flinch away. Instead, I fitted myself there as I cried. The warmth Paul provided seeped into me. My nerve endings were coming alive. Pauls head was leaning down against my shoulder, bowed, almost what looked like in prayer. I could feel his body tremble. It didn't frighten me though. He wasn't trembling in anger. This affected him just as much as it affected me.

We held each other in an almost intimate embrace. If someone barged in us, they would think we were lovers- we probably looked just like that. There's a difference between looking and being. We were neither.

I was the desperate one now. Maybe all this time, I had been the desperate one. It had never been Paul in the first place. After saying cruel things to him, I knew he would always come back. I craved that from him. The consistency of him always being there. It made me feel wanted. It made me feel that he wouldn't leave me. All this time I had been just a scared little girl. I _had_ to grow up, "What can I do to make you believe me Paul? You once asked me what you could do to change my mind. Well what can _I_ do to change yours?" I never thought I'd stoop to begging and pleading, but when life throws you a person so brilliant and true, you just don't let them go. You fight and that's what I was doing. My rainbow was slowly being obstructed by the rain and clouds. When the rainbow dies out- so do I, "You're everything I need."

I turned my head toward Pauls face. His eyes were tightly shut and his skin was bunched in stress. My intentions were admirable. I didn't wait. I initiated this kiss. He responded just as I knew he would. His lips were rough and demanding, forcing mine apart. This was unlike our first kiss- which was sweet and sincere- this kiss was pure lust.

The ring of flames brewed, dancing and teasing us. One of his hands was working itself under the hem of my shirt, while the other wadded my hair in his fist. Heated fingers ran up and down my spine, each time lingering more and more on the hook of my bra. Temptation was near.

Was I going all the way? I had set myself up for this. I knew what I was getting into when I reacted the way I did. Sooner or later, Paul and I would have had sex. It was in the "sooner" category we fell in. Did it have to be like this, though? Did our first time have to be under the preconceived notions that I didn't love him and this was the only way we could show it? Would we regret it? If by some miracle he did believe me, was this his way of making up for that mistake? Or was this just because we could have sex- without any rhyme or reason? This was quickly turning into my fantasy from weeks ago. It was so close and now that it was here, I felt as if there was something missing. No, you didn't need to have a reason to have sex with the one you love, but you needed to have understanding. That was one thing which we lacked.

I heard the sound before I felt it- my body thudding against the wall as Paul pressed me against it. There was no hesitation in his movements. My mouth went dry as his lips pressed against my collar bone, biting my skin and sending strange electric jolts down to the pit of my stomach. It was like an endless sea of butterflies, but it was so much more potent, it burned and festered. The feeling alone was enough to drive me crazy as it twisted and tightened.

His skin was smooth under my fingers as I wove them around his shoulders and down his bare back. The tips of my toes were no longer on the floor; instead, my legs were wrapped tightly around his waist. It all felt so natural and yet unnatural at the same time. Cool air hit my abdomen. The hem of my shirt was riding higher and higher, being pulled along by aggressive fingers. They explored my bare ribs, lingering and drawing upwards until the shirt was removed entirely. His fingers were like a match and as they struck the surface of my skin, I was the igniter.

I didn't know if I wanted him to stop anymore. The way it felt as his teeth grazed the sensitive spot behind my ears was too much. The exploding feeling I got from just that was addictive. Breathing in I could taste his lips and the slight disturbance of the air carried his skin. I couldn't have found my voice even if I had wanted to.

Paul didn't remove my bra like I thought he would. His match like fingers trailed down my stomach causing my back to arch into him. Soon he would go farther than anything I've ever experienced. His mouth captured mine once again as his fingers circled the edge of my shorts.

Temptation was here.

The waistband was no barrier. It was an invisible shield, easily conquered and discarded. His fingers swiftly bypassed it and started their journey southward. Down, down, until his fingers brushed the grove of my hip. I gasped in his mouth at the sudden contact and his movements stopped all together. The atmosphere, once filled with excitement and want, turned tense. It was as if he just now understood how far we were about to go. Had he been blinded with want? The need to feel and know that something solid was in reach of his grasp?

I couldn't move. If I did, he would touch a very important part of me- the unfortunate side effect for being in this compromising position. Thankfully, Paul was the first to release his lips from mine. They were swollen and red, probably the exact mirror to my own. But his eyes were a different story. So many emotions were harbored there; they swam in different directions, changing rapidly right before me. What exactly was he thinking?

His lips parted and he let out a shaky sigh, "I'm sorry." His fingers retracted and he started to pry my legs off him. I untangled my appendages unwillingly. Heat flooded my already red face. Was this rejection?

My arms were still attached to his shoulders as I was set on my feet, "Um…" My voice faded. There were no words.

"I need some time."

He shrugged away from my grasp and walked stiffly towards the front door. I couldn't hear the sound of his feet nor the click of the door as it shut. My heart was pounding too loudly. What just happened?

I shut my eyes tightly, almost willing Paul to reappear and tell me what was happening. When I reopened my eyes, there was no Paul. There was only coldness penetrating me and the feeling of rejection. This couldn't be classified as rejection though. It only felt like it.

It hurt again. As if standing in my bra and looking haggard wasn't enough. Why did this happen? Oh, right. Because I'm stupid. My special talent should be hurting Paul. I'm _so_ good at it. Everything that had happened was payback. I deserved it. With a sudden spark, I knew what this feeling of his was…

This was regret.

* * *

That night, Paul didn't come back. I didn't go look for him. I was too embarrassed. Not only had I said that little four letter word love, but I'd also practically let Paul –another four letter word- go into third base with me. I knew that I loved Paul. It was finally out in the open and I could admit it to myself. I loved him.

But everything was so jumbled. When I tried to come to a conclusion for his odd behavior, I would spin myself into a circle. Possibly, it was my fault or it could be his. Or somehow, the outcome was just a consequence of our actions from the past. All mine of course. My past actions had delivered a verdict. It had all been leading up to the day where he wouldn't believe me, where he wouldn't understand the truth, where my voiced opinions meant nothing but lies.

Morning came and went.

Noon shown it's sunny face.

And night covered the Earth with blackness.

Paul didn't show up. He was probably at the Uleys. He had said that he spent a good bit of time there and that the spare room was practically his. Guess it was being put to good use. Either that or he's still out _there_. Only a few steps it would take me, only a slip of my clothing, and I could see if he was, but I didn't feel like it. I didn't feel like listening in. If he needed time, then I would give him time. No matter how much it ate me up inside.

Embry came the next day. It was the first of July and for Embry, I placed a bright and cheery smile on my face. I could suffer internally all I wanted, but I refused to let it affect the others around me. It wasn't their burden to feel weepy. It made me self conscious that Embry knew what was going on, because even as he looked at me, scrutinizing the bags under my eyes and the fake smile, I could see he knew I was not happy. He just smiled and gave me a hug instead of the usual banter. He patted my back instead of thumping my nose.

I kept my smile in place and leaned out of his embrace, "So, what brings you out to my neck of the woods?"

He made a show and rubbed his stomach, "I'm here to bring you to Emilys. We're having a breakfast."

My smile faltered some and then I forced it back into place, "That's great. Well, I'm ready." I wasn't changing out of my flannel pajamas for anybody. If they got to run around shirtless, then this was my privilege.

His brow shot up at me as we walked out the door, "You know. Those are really ugly." He said while pointing to my bright orange flannel pants, which were rolled up to my knees.

"Keep your eyes forward and you won't have to see 'em." I tried to make it come out sarcastically, but I was drained, physically and emotionally. So it came out as if I were mad. Which wasn't the case.

He exhaled; he was gearing up for something. Why did all the guys have the same habits? Breath deeply, exhale, and then talk about the important subject. Always in that order. Probably Sams doing. "Um, see, we've been worried about you. We wanted to come, but we were ordered to stay away for a day and let you cool off, but Emily suggested that you come over for breakfast. She said that you probably have been junking and that you needed real food in your system. Who needs real food though? But if Emilys cooking I'll take it." He stopped himself from rambling on any further, "How…how are you? Really?"

"I'm all right."

"You don't look all right."

I sighed exasperatedly, "Your version is different than mine. Point is, I'm fine." Couldn't this conversation be over already? My indifferent state was quickly turning sour and irritated.

"Fine? You look like someone's pinning a needle in you every second."

I snapped. "I know I look horrible. I _know_ this. So stop saying-" I paused as something in the air caught my attention. It drifted in and out. A sound. I shushed Embry just as he was about to speak and started to walk off, picking up my pace. We were on the little road that led to the Uley house, several houses were lined around, and I could hear something that sounded familiar.

It was a soprano voice. In it was agitation and forceful beg. Who was this? The sound drove me onward and I could hear Embry silently following behind me. I knew this voice. Just who was it?

I strained my ears and picked up on what they were talking about, "Do you know a Paul? I need directions to his house…" The high pitched voice asked, droning in and out.

Fear bubbled up inside me. I knew who this was now. The trees thinned out and the next house came into view.

Parked next to the curb was a sleek black car- one too fancy for La Push. I didn't recognize it, but as my eyes traveled to the person standing next to car, looking put out, I definitely knew this person. My limbs shut off and stuttered to a stop, locking on their own accord.

This couldn't be happening. Not now. Please not now.

Why did it have to be -

"EVIE!"

Leann.


	27. Getting Everything Out in the Open

With everything that had happened up till now, I felt that this was a type of divine punishment. The most wicked kind of torture. Some rational part of me knew I could find a way out of this, the other –and much more- dominant part knew that I was in deep shit. That even _if_ I could find a solution to this, it wouldn't be good enough. Nothing would be good enough. That small ice thin layer of hope and happiness crumbled as I stared open mouthed at a dumbstruck Leann- everything was doomed. Mere seconds ago she had been screaming her head off, babbling on and on about why I hadn't called her and then she said it.

The two forbidden words.

The first word was that no _"outsider"_ should know without prior consent to the Alpha. The second was a word so familiar and yet so distant that I had completely forgotten about. It was a word that should have _never_ been remembered. And yet, somehow, she had added both in the same sentence in which sent me into a state of shock.

_Werewolves. Twilight._

Was I so stupid? Had I forgotten that I was in a fairytale? A bed time story in every sense of the word. _Twilight_. The book I was magically transported into. Every friend I had made I knew everything about. I knew their previous adventures and their troubles. I had a personally written account of everyone's lives via the love of Jacob Blacks life. Every secret and hardship was out for everyone to read and I was one of the people who poured over every detail of their lives. How could I face them after remembering that I wasn't just living in a mythical world- I was living in a fictional world. A world that wasn't supposed to exist. A world that I had entered and became apart of. All this time I had gotten to know everyone as friends, as human beings, as normal people who were just doing what fate told them to do. Nothing more, nothing less. I thought of them as being real and not apart of a fantasy. I had forgotten that they were indeed characters in a book. How could I possibly say to them that they were apart of a bestseller sold around the world in which millions of fans read and panted over?

I couldn't say that aloud without someone thinking I was insane.

But what was more realistic? Being sucked into a fictional world _or_ that a fictional bestseller, full of vampires and werewolves, actually existed? Neither. Here I am though. Breaking the gap in what was supposed to be real and what was supposed to be make believe and I was apart of the fairy tale. I _was_ a werewolf as well. I _was_ apart of the impossible. I _was_ the impossible. I was that gap- the jump- the gateway- to another world.

I didn't have all the answers. I didn't know why I was here. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was here because I was supposed to be here. If anything, I hoped the pack would believe me when I told them I didn't lie about anything. Was it my fault that I knew about them before I was supposed to? How could I know that Twilight was real? That my life was to be intertwined with these characters?

This was my reality now. This was what was real. There was no going back to boring werewolf free life, because even when I tried to picture just that, I couldn't stomach it. These people, this life, were my life now. It was an idea that I had accepted long ago. The inevitable.

With one swoop, all my emotions came back full force. I quickly realized Embry was yelling at us…at me. It was unusual for him to yell- though I guess he had good reason this time.

"How could you tell her? Do you have any respect for your pack? You're so dumb!" He seemed mad, but not nearly as mad as he could be. His face was carefully composed. A hard mask was placed on top of his normal overly cheery exterior. Embry was now a ticking time bomb. Let's hope I don't cut the wrong wire.

"I…I can explain. I have a good explanation." I stuttered out, stepping in front of Lee and holding my hands up as a white flag. The only reason I had was that she was my best friend and that I included her in all things of my life. This wasn't an exception.

"Right. This is simple to explain." Lee imputed from behind me. Her hands were placed on my shoulders and she was leaning forward. Knowing her she was probably not feeling guilty about spilling the beans, instead she was probably enraptured with the thought of a fictional character being in front of her. Hate to break it to her, but this fictional character wouldn't just give her a paper cut, no, it would be far worse than that.

"Oh, really? It better not be because you're 'friends'. You're better off pulling an excuse out of your ass!" Embrys neck muscles strained and his arms were crossed. He was in much the same position as Quil had been that time long ago. An intimidating pose. One that I had been so terrified of.

Like a boomerang, I retaliated, "Sorry, but I can't get my hand that far up my ass, unlike your almighty self." I took a short, calming breath, willing myself to stay diplomatic and in control, "I don't regret telling her even though I broke the rules. Leann is trustworthy." I finished vehemently.

"Yeah, yeah!" Lee replied happily, cutting in, "Think of me as the Bella to your Jacob! Totally trustworthy- without the nasty vampire side effects." I heard her snort and mutter under her breath, "Who actually liked Edward Cullen anyway?"

It was one of those eat or be eaten moments- kind of like Jurassic Park. If you didn't run or think ahead T-Rex would eat you for lunch.

My stomach churned. I whipped my head around, still keeping the corner of my eye focused on Embry. She did not just say that, "You stupid girl! Does immortal enemy mean anything to you?" She stared at me unapologetically and opened her mouth to speak, which I silenced with a hard glare, "Keep quiet."

A scoffing was heard from my side where Embry was, "So you also told her about our past?" It was as if at any moment a laser beam was going to come from his mouth and strike me into oblivion, but then suddenly, realization hit him, "We never told you about Bella or Jacobs past."

I laughed nervously. Damn. "Like I said, there's a really, really, good explanation." Embrys eyebrows rose to his hairline and he folded his clenching fists neatly in front of him. I was going to take a cue from Embry and pull an excuse out of my ass, "You see- uh…"

"That's a great explanation." He interrupted, "Maybe you should run for office?" His sarcasm was really pissing me off.

"That's not it!" I shrilled, rocking back and forth on my heels. My body screamed for me to phase. To just get this over with. Stopping myself was hard, but I was ready for anything by now. The least I could do was protect Lee from a wolf fight. I had to protect her from myself.

"Ugh! I have had enough of you two!" Bellowed Leann, "You!" Her finger jabbed into my shoulder blade, "You should stop beating around the bush all the time and just spit it out! And you!" Her finger slid past my body into the stunned direction of Embry, "I don't know who you are wolf boy, but you're a freakin' fictional character! Got it? Fictional. Not real. A character in a book!"

Never would I have seen that coming. I had expected it to come out, but I thought that I would be the one to revel my deep dark secret. Not the innocent big mouthed bystander. My shoulders drew forward in a defeated position, "Remind me to put duck tape over your mouth next time." I whispered to Lee and her face puckered up.

"Did I go too far?" She asked, clasping her hand in mine.

I nodded, "You went too far with the first comment you made."

A short laugh escaped her lips, "Is he in shock?"

She was referring to the still like statue in front of us, "Who knows. It's not everyday you're told you're a fictional character. I think you could have broken it to him gently."

"I think I look plenty real." Said a different voice. Collin.

In the forest, I could see half the pack gathered or what looked like half the pack. Quickly, I counted the faces, Jared, Collin, Jacob, Sam, and even the elusive Paul was there- almost all the best fighters. Had they been there the entire time listening to our exchange? Was I so caught up in the moment that I lost my focus? This was bad. My eyes drug themselves to Sam and locked onto his unyielding, indifferent mask. This was _extremely_ bad.

"Come." The order of the Alpha. I couldn't disobey- no matter how bad Leah wanted me to. So, I looped my arm through Lees and we marched our way toward Sam, following his silent footfalls. The pack members loosely surrounded us. Did they think I was going to make a run for it? I was certainly not a criminal. Besides, it wasn't possible for me to phase and take Lee with me. I had the speed, but not the strength.

"What's going on?" There was no hesitation in Leann's voice, no hint of her being scared. I envied her. I was shaking in my boots.

I glanced over to my side and sent daggers in his direction. Paul was walking a few feet away from me, his eyes on his feet. I knew he felt me looking because he twitched slightly in my way. I sighed longingly, "You really wanna know?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Ask one of them then." I sniffed. Honestly, I had no clue what they were going to do. I had one good guess though. A pack meeting.

"No way. You're so mean."

"Shut up." I hissed, "Realize that these are not playful pups. Realize that you're only human. Realize that we're going to get our asses kicked!"

"Your ass, not mine." She sang. When did she get so darn cheery? Did she want to piss off a pack of werewolves? Maybe I would be the one to maul her; at least I wouldn't feel any guilt.

"Shut up or I'll bite you."

Lee stuck her tongue out at me, "Face it, I make your life better. I complete it."

For a split second my eyes shot over to Paul, who was looking thoughtfully at me, and just as our eyes met he jumped and looked forward.

"You mean to say, I don't complete your life anymore?" She asked sadly, with a tinge of humor.

I huffed, "This is not the time or place to be discussing who completes my life or not." My teeth ground together. Besides, even if I did say it aloud, I would be classified as I liar by that person. Paul was such an asshole, but he was an asshole that I fell for.

"I don't see a better time than now. Besides, you seem to be hiding something from me." Her hand grabbed my cheek and pulled it, "Tell me or I'll whisper things that will make you cringe." She threatened.

I titled my head to the side, "Nothing could possibly make me cringe more than what I've seen up here." I tapped my head and smiled sweetly at her.

Her face contorted in mock horror, "We're surrounded by perverts then."

A few heads whipped our way as my snorting laughter filtered through my mouth. Laughing like this, after the lonely days I had had, felt good. Even though headquarters' –the Uley house- was rapidly approaching, just being with Lee made me feel a bit more human. This was the feeling only a best friend could offer. I needed her whether the pack liked it or not. She was my only connection to the outside world, unless I included mom, but even she had her wacky tie to this world.

* * *

Soon, we were all situated around the table, a whooping fourteen people. We were the Knights of the Round Table, with a less outstanding code of chivalry and fur. Paul was directly in front of me, Lee was on my right, and Seth on my left. Seth had a comforting arm slung over my shoulders, but there was something off with him. I was puzzled for a few minutes and I couldn't come to any answer as I wasn't allowed to ponder it for long.

Sam cleared his throat and gave a long glance at Leann and then flicked his eyes to me. His eyes pierced mine and for a split second they held sympathy. I didn't need his sympathy and I sure didn't want it, "Explain, Evelyn."

I was aware of everyone either turning or settling their stares on me. There was no hostility, only anger and distrust- things that would lead to hostility. I straightened my back, "Leann knows our secret because I told her." This voice, it didn't sound like me, it was strong and sturdy and sure. It was the kind of voice Sam had at all times. The voice of empowerment.

"Did you not consider what would happen if she told someone?" Sam asked, annoyance showing at my confidence. He wasn't the type to back down.

"Don't we all have to take that risk? Even when telling imprints? You risk losing it all."

"That's different." Quil hissed.

"Maybe it is." I allowed, "But, I know that Lee would never betray us."

"You say that now. How can you say that when she might meet a leech or become one…" The face of Jacob was pained. I didn't know the whole story, but I knew it up till Eclipse. It was obvious that Bella had chosen Edward.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Lee slammed her fist on the table, pushing her chair out as she took a stand, "I do _not _run around with freakin' bloodsuckers and I sure don't wanna become one! Don't you _dare_ label me as being with the vampires!"

I smiled slightly. That's what you get when you anger a team Jacob fan. If she only knew Jacob was sitting beside the Alpha, she would be declaring her love for him. "Seems you have your answer to that." I gripped her arm pulling her back down. Lees face was streaked with red and she was breathing heavily as she tried to compose herself. It really wasn't working. Lee was like a werewolf, once you get worked up, it's pretty hard to ignore it.

"That still doesn't answer how you knew about Bella." Embry whispered, earning nods from the members who previously witnessed our banter earlier.

"It's a more…involved answer. Kind of explainable and then not explainable." I set my hands on the table and stared at them, tracing the little lines on my thumbs, "I would need you to trust me." I jumped as a large hand covered mine, a very warm hand that sent a sudden shock through my system, one of those pulsing out of this world shocks.

Paul was looking my way, but not quite at me. He swallowed loudly, "I'll believe you."

My insides turned to goo for half a second. Did that mean he knew I really did love him? My love was accepted? I stomped on those hopes before they got out of hand and I ended up attacking him with a hug, "Thank you."

"What do you mean it's not explainable?" Emily spoke up. She was the wild card here, as she had the influence to change Sams' decision. Truthfully, she was my only hope if Sam didn't have a favorable opinion of what to do with Leann and me.

"And you said we were fictional." Collin imputed.

The room went silent awaiting my reply. It was as if the lights had focused themselves on me, creating one beam that would highlight my grand finale.

"All right. There's this book called Twilight, it's a personally written account of Bella Swans life in Forks."

"Actually, there are three books. A fourth in the making," Leann said quietly, "but there hasn't been any news on it."

"The books are worldwide bestsellers-"

Jacobs angry voice boomed around us, "You mean to say Bella wrote about us and published it?"

"No!" Shouted Lee and I at the same time.

We exchanged glances and I tried to clear up the confusion, "It's only in Bella's perspective. The author isn't from around here. It's a work of pure fiction."

"This is why you're not supposed to be real." Lee added.

"And why millions of people know your story, but not that you're real."

"Millions?" Gasped Brady as he scooted his chair toward me.

"Maybe more."

Paul tapped my hand, "Are you apart of the book?"

"No." I said sadly, "I'm just a huge fan. When I moved here, I had no idea that Twilight was real. It was a shock for me too, meeting y'all, becoming an imprint, and then phasing. I wasn't expecting anything like this…" I rambled on until Lee nudged my side, digging her elbow into my ribs.

"You've known _all_ this time." Mused Jared.

I nodded my agreement.

"Where does that leave us?" He cocked a brow my way and swiveled to his left, facing Sam.

Deep down, I was sorry Sam had to decide what to do. It wasn't fair that he had to pass judgment on his sister. This was his duty though, as Alpha, to make sure everyone stayed in line and protected the Rez. With that duty came pain, courage, loyalty, and ruling- and many more. Even if you didn't want those things, it was a package deal.

Sam focused his attention on Emily as he spoke, "You're saying that we're apart of a book, sold around the world, that is fictional." He said slowly, almost as if trying to comprehend any secret meaning to those words. Those few words made him sound like a mad man- without the crazy hair and coke bottle glasses.

"I don't get the part where we're fictional." Embry fussed sourly, "If that was true, we wouldn't be here right now. It's common knowledge, books don't come to life." He still wasn't willing to accept the impossible and settled on sarcasm and facts instead.

"And everyone would know who we are." The star struck Brady imputed dreamily. No doubt dreaming of things he could do with his newly found fame- ugh, I can just imagine what's going on in his head right now.

"Maybe to the outside world, you don't look like werewolves; maybe you look totally different to someone who doesn't know the truth. I don't know, maybe people who know the truth can only see you." I ran a frustrated hand through my grimy hair, "It's not as if I know how this works. I don't get it either."

A few wolves sighed, probably not understanding the situation. Kim had her head leaning against Jared with her eyes glued to my face. It looked like she was concentrating pretty hard- in the freaky Jane of the Volturi kind of way. Any moment I was going to feel pain that immobilized me while they chopped me up into little pieces.

It didn't come.

Sam stood up suddenly and motioned to the pack, "We're taking this outside. Evelyn," he paused, "stay inside."

"Sure." I obeyed like the good little wolf I was.

One by one the pack filed out, until all that was left were the puny humans and me- the neglected werewolf.

Emily let out a small chuckle, "That seemed to have went well." And with that she started to bustle around the kitchen. The occasional pings and pangs sounded as she scooted around. That woman could always find something to do.

"So," Kim said shyly, breaking through the once tense atmosphere, "You weren't joking?"

"No way." Butted in Leann, "Twilight is real and it's a book. Those mutts better get it through their brain!" She raised her fist and swung it in the air.

"Derogatory term." I coughed and rolled my eyes, "Anyway, what's wrong Kim?"

She bit her lip and turned away, "I just…don't take it the wrong way, but maybe you're the one that's not supposed to be here." A dish clanked in the sink and the kitchen became deathly quiet, "If this really is a fictional world and you're not apart of the story, how can you belong?"

My mouth opened several times to solve this little statement of Kims. She had hit the bull's-eye and I had gotten the big red "X". There was nothing to say to that. How could I belong here? There was no part for me in this story. I didn't belong and that was final.

It hurt. My chest. My arms. My legs. My head. It all hurt.

Couldn't I be apart of the story without having a part? Just like a meaningless background character? Even if I was just that I would take it. La Push was my grand sky, full of wonders and adventures, friends and enemies, love and reward. To be away, to go away for forever, would be painful beyond words. I didn't have the willpower to take myself out of La Push. They would have to forcefully order me to stay out.

"Kim!" Emily scolded, shaking her head in disapproval.

"No, it's all right." I let my lungs fill up to full capacity and then I exhaled, "Kim, being away from La Push, from y'all, from Paul, it would be excruciatingly painful. It's like you being away from Jared…only you'll never see him again. Never again. It hurts to think about that doesn't it? That's what this place is to me. Even though I'm not a character with a defined role or even someone standing in the background, I'll make myself belong here. Do you understand?" My eyes watered up and I furiously scrubbed my face. I would not cry. I would not feel sorry for myself. That was only for losers who couldn't figure out what to do with a tough situation. I, Evelyn, was no loser, maybe a sore loser, but I definitely was not giving up without a fight.

She gave me an apologetic smile, "I understand. I want you here too."

"Same here." Emily called, sticking her head out from the fridge.

"Me too!" Lee piped, "I might just move here!"

"Ha-ha. Good one." I mocked standing, "Emily can I use your shower?"

"Mhm-hm."

"Thanks."

Lee grabbed my arm as I walked, "I'm not kidding. I really wanna move here."

"Jokes over, Lee."

It went on like that. Leann telling me over and over again that she was moving here. When I went to grab some of Pauls extra clothes, "I'm moving here." When I grabbed the door handle to the bathroom, "I'm seriously moving." When I turned on the water, "I'm going to Peninsula College."

That was when I realized, Lee was serious. So serious that I saw the blazing determination in her eyes the second I turned around. What _was_ this? Move to Washington day? Scope out the land for a new apartment and bump into your best friend like it was no big deal and then drop that kind of bomb. Lee. Here. In La Push. In La Push where werewolves were a commodity and vampires were treated like raw steak. My La Push was a battleground. Not a place for silly girl to romp and play.

"No way. Go back to Alabama. Move to Maine or Indiana, not Washington." I replied stepping into the shower and stripping my clothes behind the curtain.

"You don't want me here?"

"You're only moving here because of the guys, Lee."

I heard her groan, "That's cold. Even for you."

"It's the truth. Besides, it's not safe for _you_ here."

Her fist punched the curtain- I flinched backwards, but it's not like _I_ had anything to be afraid of, "Right. Okay, whatever. So, it's perfectly okay for you to be here?"

I rubbed a good amount of shampoo in my hair and massaged my temples, "If you haven't noticed Lee, I'm invincible. I can take care of myself. What would happen if some vampire got a hold of you? Sucked your blood and left you for dead? Or somehow you were turned. That would be on my head, Lee. I can't have that happen to you." I choked up, rinsing the rest of the suds out my hair.

"What if I stay here and don't go out of La Push? That would work, right?"

Desperation. Pleas of bargain. Something made me stop the water and pull the curtain slightly back so I could see her face, "Lee. What's the matter?"

She let out a broken sob and tried to smile, "I'm pregnant. Knocked up. With child."

"Well, that's…" Ding. Ding. Ding. "Pregnant?!"

"That's what it's called. Taylor is the father. Good Ole Tay." She added bitterly.

"Taylor? Our Taylor?" It was mind-blowing. Leann was pregnant at nineteen. Not that I was upset by it or anything, it was just, _wow_. A "WTF" moment for sure.

"My mom would kick me out of the house if she knew. She would take away my college funds and I would be on the streets. You know how she is. Please, Evie. This is my only hope. I'm not marrying Tay and I'm not telling my mom. It's better if she doesn't know. Please. Please."

There were my instincts to play the best friend and take her in and then there was the thought that I shouldn't. I should tell her to go home and tell Taylor that he was the father, to tell her mom that she was having an unplanned pregnancy, to grow up and become an adult, but I didn't have it in me. How could I turn my back on my best friend? I would become a traitor and lose my friendship. She needed me. She needed to have at least one person on her side. I was that person.

Silently, I grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped myself up and stepped out, "I guess, I guess…I'll talk to my mom and you can move in with her. She has to be lonely anyway." I said dismissively, pulling a shirt over my head.

Then I was tackled in a bouncing hug as she said her thanks like a broken record. It was quite the struggle to slip on jogging pants while being hugged from behind, but I managed and I dragged my little leech out of the bathroom and toward the kitchen.

It was noon. There was no sign of the wolves and Emily and Kim had retired to the living room. That left Leann and I sopping on three bowls of fudge. Like I needed to add to my thunder thighs, but who cares- let them crack and roar, nothing can over come my obsession with fudge. This was my pick-me-up. Yummy goodness with my best friend.

…That is until she moved onto a sore subject.

"So, Paul, huh?"

I bit my tongue after licking the wooden spoon- stupid tongue! "Uh, yeah. Paul." _Right_. I pressed a napkin to my bleeding wound. Hurray for wolfy powers.

"You're dating him, right?" She pressed, swirling her fingers in the oozing chocolate.

"No. Not dating. Just living together. Nothings official." Unfortunately. I needed that conformation. Paul hadn't given it to me. I didn't know if he assumed we were dating or not. For all I know he could have a little journal hidden in his mattress describing what our wedding day would look like.

"Sounds official to me." She gave me a hyena-like grin, "How far have you gone?"

How far _had_ we gone? Down the street and into a semi-permanent detour, that's where. "Barely past second base. We're, uh, kinda in a fight right now or at least we were…" Which is exactly why I needed to get the memos for a werewolf relationship.

She gave me that "look". The look of disbelief. I could practically hear her saying, "You let him go past second base and you're not even dating?!", but thankfully, she didn't say anything at all. She was a contradictor if she did.

"Em, all right. My appearance didn't help any did it?"

I breathed a sight of relief, "Not really and then kinda."

"What if he tells you to leave?"

There came the pain. That throbbing sensation. "Well, if he did, then I would go." I answered truthfully with all my lies hidden.

"What? Why?" She gasped, her spoon falling from her hand back into the bowl.

It was a complicated answer. Everything in my life was complicated. What happened to my simplicity? Oh right, down the toilet with all other parts of my less than normal life, "Because I love him so much, I- I'm willing to do anything to make him happy, to make his life less inclined to be painful. There isn't a way for me to be happy if he's not. It would work out in the end."

"Liar. Idiot! Look at yourself your crying."

Sure enough, hot tears were rolling down my cheeks hitting my blue sweats. I laughed shamefully, "Good thing it always rains in La Push."

Lee turned her back to me then and set her bowl in the sink, "I didn't know you were like that." She said quietly, her voice rising, "When did you become this person? When did you stop fighting? I'm tired of you not being yourself. This isn't Evie. Evie would never say that, because Evie doesn't give in. You're acting like a brat and a sissy. What happened to that fire?" She yelled throwing her hands in the air.

"Life happened!" I exploded, clenching my fists an breaking the spoon, "It-"

"That's an excuse and you know it!"

"No, I-"

"You're hoping that everything will just magically fall into place if you keep quiet and ride the current. You're losing yourself. You're losing everything that way Evelyn."

I looked forward, unseeing past the window and the dreary afternoon.

"You never were one to sit on the sidelines and watch the game play out." She came into my vision, making me only see her, "Put yourself back in the game."

Put myself back in the game. Put myself back in the game?

"Act, don't think. It's what you do best." She gave me a weird hug and pranced off toward the living room.

"What I do best." I repeated aloud dumbly, "Put myself back in the game."

The back door opened and I could hear the near silent entry of my pack members.

I knew what I had to do.

No one told me what to do and got away with it. I was going to make things go my way.

Push, shove, bite, growl- Evie was back in action.


	28. The Moment of Truth

Has it been almost 16 weeks since I updated? Forgive meee!

The last few months I've been focusing my attention on my Medical studies and concentrating on getting a job at a hospital. Anyone here in the nursing field? I'm actually not a student yet, but instead I'm learning everything (or trying to) so I'll be prepared. The job I'll get will most likely be a nurse's aid, which is not so bad- everyone has to start somewhere. (If you're wondering what I want to actually **do** in the nursing field its "Flight Nursing".)

Enjoy (more or less) the newest chappie of WoP- which isn't very long (The shortest since ch 9). But I think most of you would agree a short chapter is better than no chapter at all. ;]

**Check out the poll on my profile and vote :)**

* * *

Thump. Thump. Thump. Inhale. Exhale. Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart was about to burst. It hurt. Everywhere hurt. This was my trial. My brave front was easily demolished with just one look from my alpha. That stupid look of disappointment, the one where you instantly felt bad, and realized that you couldn't change the past for the mistakes you might have made. _Mistake_. I couldn't think that way, if I did, then everything I went through was for nothing. I couldn't think that way. _Never_.

Three members of the pack were here. Sam, Paul, and Jacob. The three greatest forces that had control over me, all in one room. It was nerve racking- so much so that I wanted to yell out in frustration. The "Cave of Wonders" was about to swallow me whole and I had touched nothing but the lamp. Maybe my toe accidentally caught a gold coin, or maybe something had dropped from the ceiling into my pocket. _Stupid Genie, where are you when I need you?_

"I'll start off by saying you were irresponsible and I'm deeply disappointed in you. Even the most trust worthy person can turn their back on you in a second and you choose to take that chance when it wasn't your secret to tell. As a member of this pack, you need to separate your life from before and your life now. You're different, whether you want to be or not. This is your fate. Accept it and push away those that might get hurt with your negligence. That includes us." I couldn't see Sams face, my head was cast downward. I didn't want to see his calm façade with a raging wolf inside. Hearing it was enough, "The pack works efficiently together, but when one member strays the pack becomes divided. Evelyn, you have divided the pack."

I flinched, highly aware that my brother was telling me no lies. It was wrong to think my actions would only affect myself. The people around me…maybe I didn't care enough, or maybe, I was just blindly ignorant. Either way, if the pack was divided that meant something bad for me. Geeze, this was karma.

"One side wants to punish you, send you back _home_- away from the pack, away from everything you know here and forget about you for a lengthy period. How is it fair if you're able to get away with something as big as this and they're not? Jeopardizing the pack, causing a scandal, ignoring orders, refusing to acknowledge that you knew about this all along- your judgment is not trust worthy anymore. I can't say I disagree with them. I also feel this way.

"The other said if they were in your position they would have also did the same thing. They want you to stay here with a less severe form of punishment, but that you should have restrictions and you should be properly informed of the rules and conduct that go within this pack. That, they say, is unforgivable.

"Let me say this, we all have someone, at one time or another, who we want to tell our secret to. We all wanted to be understood at some point in the beginning, but because of tradition, because of secrecy, and all that is our people, we buried that feeling, but you knew about us from the beginning and yet you told our secret. Knowing everything. Knowing you weren't supposed to. Does the pack not matter to you?!"

The sheer force of his voice caused my body to shake. This was so much worse than I imagined. My knees trembled; I wanted to beg him not to send me back home. I would get down on my knees, on all fours and beg him to let me stay. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare, it hurt too much.

"I'm sorry." I muttered my chin quivering ready to produce tears at any moment.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"Sorry is not able to fix everything. If it did, there would be no need for injunctions or laws, understand?" Sam gave a long sigh, dragging his fingers over his face- almost as preparing for something _dreading_. "We were unanimous at the end of the meeting- we all wanted you to return to Alabama and reflect on what you have done, but because of certain circumstances," His eyes flickered to Paul and back to me, so fast I almost missed it, "we're keeping you around. There are ground rules, however."

I nodded my head solemnly- anything that kept me in La Push and not out of it was _always_ a good thing. Thank goodness for 'certain circumstances'.

"We're confiscating the books." Jacob replied almost furiously. "No arguments."

My books? They wanted to take away my Twilight books? What was the harm? Maybe then they would see Bella really does love Edward and that Edward would do anything to keep Bella safe. Not that I was rooting for them, but Edward had his own way of loving Bella. It's not like they could call a war for the multiple times Bella almost got bitten, broken, and potently snatched away by Italian vampires- besides, she was a vampire already or at least, I really _hoped_ she was. "My books? Um…Only if you promise not to freak out and go all Eclipse on me." Right, they hadn't read the books _yet_. Just what I needed, I was already on Jacobs bad side, I just had to go and make it worse. Sound the alarm and cover your ears, the bombs about to explode! "I meant, run away."

…

What was supposed to have angered _him_ only embarrassed _me_. Was it my face that felt so hot? I'm sure it wasn't just because my temperature was a toasty enough to fry an egg. Sam intervened within the awkward silence and stifled the embarrassing atmosphere, "Next, you are hereby silenced from speaking about the pack to any outsiders."

"You won't be given babysitters anymore." Said the grump next to the Alpha and Beta, "We can't baby-sit you forever." Paul gave a gruff grunt, "You're not leaving me though. I'll drag you back, kicking and screaming."

I could feel the half smile curve upon my lips at his words, but it quickly fell. This couldn't be all they had planned for me. "I suppose that there's a catch in having this freedom?"

Sam patted my head once and placed his free hand on my shoulder- looking me square in the eye, "There's always a catch."

* * *

I was confined to my room in Paul's house. My Twilight books had been confiscated and now I was reading _other_ books. La Push history. Everything I needed to know about werewolves, the laws that governed them, past tales, so forth and so on. This was just _part_ of my punishment. Emily had given me these, most written by her or at least revised to make the most accurate account in werewolf history…ever.

These books were boring, and they would continue to be boring for the next hour and hours to come. How Emily ever found this fascinating was beyond me. Listening to Billy Black tell the stories was hypnotic, but reading page after page of a simple book made the stories lose the feel of magic. Couldn't Sam just use ESP and transfer me the knowledge? I'm pretty sure he's gotten the whole thing memorized, especially because Emily was the one who wrote them.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna go crazy." I kicked the pillows that were around me to the side and rolled off the bed, landing on a pile of clothes. I knew better than to sneak off, but my insides were begging me to see what was happening with the outside world. Well, the outside world that was now the inside world, which was a secret world from the outside world. Yeesh, I was going crazy.

"Aren't you supposed to be reading?"

I glanced up from looking at the dust under my bed, someone had to give the dust bunnies a home, might as well be me. My focus was on his hands, not his eyes. I didn't feel like talking to Paul, he switched between a good Paul and a Paul I didn't know every day- I didn't know who he was going to play today.

"Are you ignoring me?"

"No." I lied and pulled a small clump of dust off the floor.

"Why aren't you reading?"

I shrugged. Was I supposed to tell him that it was beyond boring reading by myself?

"Are you okay?"

"Are you done with your questions?" I asked slowly and fixed my eyes on the dust in my hands- rolling up it between my thumb and forefinger.

Paul hesitated and then sat himself on the floor, crossing his legs. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing."

"Something is." He pestered.

"Is something bothering you that supposed to bother me?"

He didn't respond.

"I'll take that as a yes." I pulled myself up into a sitting position and wiped my hands on the not-so-clean clothes in the floor. "I imagine we're both being bothered by the same thing." I said tonelessly. Paul was sucking out all my energy, draining me into a lifeless puppet.

He shifted forward, "Probably." He said with indifference.

We were silent. The sound of Pauls breathing reminded me that he was still in the room. Could we go on like this? Just the way we were now? I was honestly tired of it all.

"Sometimes I'd like to think I'm doing this all for you." Paul started seemingly lost in his thoughts, only speaking them aloud, "That's not true though. It comes down to me wanting to be the person you wake up beside every morning and fall asleep beside every night. I'm doing it for myself, but I don't think you see what I do. You see the actions, but the not the meaning behind them. You're a gigantic puzzle. I never know what you're going to do next. I didn't even know that you knew about us beforehand. I guess that makes me a big fool, huh?"

"You're upset because I didn't tell you about the books?" It was disturbing, while I was worried about other aspects of our relationship; this is what he was worried about.

"I'm upset because you lied to me."

"Well I'm upset because you left me right after I told you I loved you!" I yelled.

"I left because you were taking advantage of the situation!"

"Taking advantage? Wanting to prove that I loved you was taking advantage of you?" I said in disbelief.

"You were seducing me into believing something wasn't true! You were trying to get my hopes up!"

"And that's where you come up short." I rocked back and forth on my knees. My nerves were fried, my head hurt, and all I could think about was proving to Paul that my shortcomings were justifiable, "You don't trust me as much as you think you do. This started before you knew about the books, but you make out like the books are the whole problem- that my lie for that is the problem, but really, what is it? You left me after you knew I was willing to give myself to you. What does that say? That you're the protector of my innocence or that…or that you don't really know how you feel? Do you know how much I cried? How I was ate up inside because of that rejection? How-"

"I know how I feel. It was you; I was trying to protect you!"

"But you thought I was lying and then you didn't come back for days. Embry came instead! Embry came when I wanted to see your face! It was like you didn't even care…"

"So, it's my fault then?" Paul asked, his voice tight with anger.

I licked my crackled lips and took a breath, "It's my fault for thinking you'd believe the truth when you heard it- when you weren't ready to hear it."

"You never gave me any signs before that day." He whispered, "What was I supposed to believe. I didn't want you forcing yourself into anything."

I gave a forced laugh, "All the signs were there. Did you know? Did you know that I've loved you ever since I first met you?" I confessed. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes. I smiled almost sadly at the thought of when I first met him, "That's something right? I mean, you tried so hard to get my attention when you already had it and…me…I ignored you, because I felt attached to Seth and…and…" My sobs broke my speech. I hated this. I really, truly hated this. "Do I…Do I get to run away…this time?"

"Argh." Paul's arms slowly wrapped around me, giving me the chance to pull away if needed, but I showed no signs of pulling away, "This is what I get for all my mistakes. I think we need to be more open and next time one of us wants to run away, let's…just run away together."

If I could have laughed during my sob-fest without choking I would have, but instead I nodded into his chest. My uneasiness evaporated. I still felt mad and upset, but with this new level that I had created with Paul, it felt as if it would be okay, as long as we wanted to be together.

He gave a hefty sigh, "Thanks for not running away."

That night, I slept peacefully in the comfort of Pauls arms for the very first time.

* * *

This chapter was initially going to be different, but the writing bug hit me 3 hours ago and I've been typing ever since- thus is 3am.  
Sorry for any spelling mistakes. ;-;

AND I'M SORRY FOR GIVING Y'ALL A CHAPPIE SO LATE!!!

Thanks for the reviews. It really amazes me that so many people wanted to kick my butt for not updating- it made me so happy. ^^


	29. The Tribal Meeting: Part One

Eep, I'll try to be a good little author from now on- so you won't forget about WoP anymore, okay? Let's continue on with short chapters every 1 to 2 weeks, instead of a long chapter…every month or so. ^^

Also, if you haven't heard by now, Solomon Trimble and Smokey D (Krys) have been replaced in New Moon. Don't know about anyone else, but I kinda threw an online blog bitch fit. :| Replacing them was the biggest mistake ever, imo. ;-;  
Keke, rant over.

Enjoy lovelies. **BTW:** _please _read the authors note at the bottom, some of you are bound to wonder what the hell I'm thinking.

* * *

Paul refused to read Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. I didn't even have to ask him not to read them; it was just something he decided on his own. I really didn't get why he was refused, it wasn't like our pack could keep thoughts from one another. He was going to hear about it, regardless. I would rather read the book myself than get Brady and Collin's annoying commentary on why they were the most under appreciated characters in the books.

It had been a few days, but we were back at the Uleys for one reason or another. There was no Leann, no pack, just Emily, Paul, myself, and, to my surprise and chagrin, Leah. I figured Paul and I were there to break the tension between Leah and Emily, but couldn't Leah just leave? It was surprising she had stayed as long as she had- between the sighs, arms twitches, and headshakes, I knew something was up. I wasn't going to bring myself to ask her. That was instant death. KO. Sayonara and good night.

"Sooo…where's Sam?" I asked no one in particular, hoping to distract myself from Leahs impending storm.

Emily answered, "He's out doing what he does best." Then she turned my way, her face bunched in indecision, "I'm not sure I should tell you this, but I am because I don't agree with the way Sam's thinking!" She huffed and then composed herself, "Your books have made Sam…troubled."

"Troubled?" That wasn't new. When was Sam not troubled? It was practically his middle name.

"You see," She wadded a dish towel in her hand and looked firmly in my eyes, "Sam wants to make an _advance_."

"Eh?" Advance? What was that supposed to mean? "I'm not sure I follow you…"

She huffed at my thickheadedness, "Attack!" She shouted suddenly, "He wants to attack the Cullens!"

"Att…attack…? C…Cullens?"

"Bang bang. You knew it was bound to happen. Your little precious "_Twilight_" gave us a lot of incentive." Leah muttered, never looking up from her perch. "It's called _war_."

"Breathe, Evelyn, breathe." Paul gently patted my back as I sucked in as much oxygen as I could.

My lungs were working at full capacity. I slowly pieced together what Emily said. Sam wanted to attack the Cullens. Why? Because of my books. Did they really have that much incentive? Sure, Bella was attacked a few dozen times and nearly killed, but hell she had an excuse- danger magnet! Apparently, it was possible to call war due to a fictional written account of a book that just happened to be real. Who knew?

"Is Sam out of his _fucking_ mind?" I blew up, slapping Paul on the arm, the closest and least likely to be hurt person next to me.

"Ow." Paul moaned, "Take it easy."

"Oh, you, shut the freak up. You've known about this the whole time and you weren't going to tell me. Am I right?"

He looked guiltily at me, "Maybe I knew a teensy bit about it." His fingers measured out that of a "teensy bit" as he grinned sheepishly at a clucking Emily.

"What happens now? I mean, Sam can't do this. The Cullens are not in La Push and we don't patrol outside of our area. Wouldn't we be breaking a law or something? And-"

"Where's your merry cheer, _Evie_?" Leah appeared in front of my vision. Her chin was set in a stubborn growl- it made her look terrifying. "You should be happy. We all should be _so_ grateful to you. You delivered those leeches on a silver platter for us. Thank God _Sam_ is going to let us have them." Somehow, I found a double meaning to her words, not to mention the name 'Sam' coming out of her mouth was rarely spoken.

I knew what she getting at, "I refuse, Leah. Hell, I damn right refuse. Go to Jacob, not me. I won't go into Alpha mode to satisfy your curiosity." I hissed at her. In the background I could hear Paul asking what we were talking about- he would get it soon enough.

Her lips twitched upwards, almost as if she was saying 'I told you so.', "This is where your power lies then. Go fight the bloodsuckers and let's see who comes back alive."

"I never said I was going to fight the Cullens. Sam's opinion can be changed…somehow." Thoughts from a dream so long ago came to mind. The wolves, dead, on my front door step. I didn't want to see that become a reality. So that's what Leah was thinking. Overrule Sam and save her brother from a tragedy just waiting to happen.

Emily noticed me looking hopefully at her. She shook her head in defeat, "I've already tried."

"Same here." Paul grunted and sunk further down into his chair, "You two have a back up plan then?"

Leahs eyes were burning a hole in my forehead. As much as I wanted to save the pack and the Cullens, I couldn't become the Alpha. It wasn't something I was meant to do, "No, we don't have a plan."

"Damn you!" She moved in closer, invading my personal space, "Do you want some of us to die? _Die_, Evelyn. You have the power to stop this and yet you won't!"

A tremor rolled down my spine, "I don't want to fight Dr. Fang and his bloodsucking family any more than you do. I know what the Cullens are capable of and I know that we stand a small amount of chance; I know we were built to take them apart, and I know between all of the bloodsuckers' abilities and our inexperience, some will die. But you're asking me for something life changing…"

"Becoming the freak of the pack isn't life changing?" She mocked ruefully.

"Being in charge of peoples lives is life changing! I'm not Sam. I can't become an Alpha over night. I can't order the pack to attack a leech. I can't shut out my emotions because to be a leader you have to be expressionless and calm!" I stood silent for a few seconds and thought about my first time as a wolf- when I became the impossible, "That…that night when I first phased. When I first experienced getting pounded by that leech. That's when I first realized, during fights, I was going to become a burden. That's why, at all costs, I won't become the alpha."

Paul was the first to speak, "Evelyn. You had just phased, you couldn't expect much from yourself. We've taught you well enough to take care of yourself now, but I have to agree. I don't want you to become Alpha." He pouted, "My time would be limited with you."

Emily chuckled and the dreary mood was dispersed, "Who knew?" She laughed once again and busied herself, "You're such a softie."

My imprint began to bicker with Emily and Leah backed away from my bubble.

Things settled down into a seemingly normal setting. If someone were to walk in they would think nothing of us, but I could feel the pressure of the situation increasing by the minute. What could we do to make Sam change his mind? It wasn't just his decision to make, especially when the lives of the pack were at stake. Then it hit me. The idea that could possibly break Sams case, that is, if my argument was favored.

"Emily?" I called, the excitement in my voice tipping off my companions, "You need to call Kim."

She glanced tentatively at me, "Why?"

"Because you have a lot of people to cook for tonight."

"Another plan?" Groaned Paul halfheartedly.

The excitement was too much for me, I was finally getting somewhere and I finally felt myself coming back to the old me, "I have a beyond brilliant plan."

* * *

"Uh. Uh!" My hands went flying into the air and I slapped my forehead a couple of times. "This was my beyond brilliant plan? What was I thinking?"

Tonight the cliffs were aglow with a large fire. Many people were here. The Elders, pack members, and imprints were all neatly lined in a row. Truthfully I felt like a sitting duck waiting to be roasted. My idea had been rather simple. Have Emily make all the necessary calls and Leah and Paul were to deliver the news to Sam. The news being a Tribal Meeting one that Sam didn't initiate. I knew Sam was pissed that we were all gathering to discuss the plan of attacking the Cullens. Even though he was the Alpha, it didn't give him the freedom to send us to our death and if things went awry tonight, I'm pretty sure my bags would need to be packed and I would need to get out of town.

Embry approached me from behind, "This is where the little offering is hiding. Should I call for back up?" He joked and took a seat next to me.

I peeked from behind the bushes and out at the crowd, "How bad is it?"

"Let's just say, if you were a leech, you would have been shredded and burned by now."

"Lucky me."

"Exactly." He scooted closer to me and rubbed his hands together, "Guess what though? We got a bet going."

I raised my brows expectantly. This _had_ to be good.

Embry gave a dark chuckle, "Bet is…we think tonight Sam just might lose his cool. You know? Badda-boom."

"I hope you get your ass bit."

"That's the spirit!" He cheered, "Want in?"

"No way. I'm all cashed in for the night."

"Too bad."

"Hey," I whispered, picking up a few rocks are crushing them in my palm, "What do you want to happen tonight?"

He sighed and let out low whistle, "I'm not a friend of the leeches, but Bella's there. That's enough to keep me away. Besides, there's Jake that I have to worry about. It's tearing him up and Sam doesn't seem to care. I think you get where I'm going with this."

Poor Jacob. This had to be horrible for him. "How is he? Does he want a war?"

"Can't say. He's been blocking his thoughts lately, but he's trying to figure out a way to stop Sam. Don't know if he will though."

"If we did go to war, I think Jacob would protect Bella even though she's one of them."

"Yeah, I get that feeling too."

My shoulders felt heavy. As if the weight of the world had came crashing down and I was the one chosen to pick it back up.

Embry reached for my hand and pulled me up, "Its show time."

"Let the curtain rise." I muttered as we walked into the glow of the fire.

Sam wasn't here yet, but most of the wolves were and all the Elders were accounted for. I went straight to the team who had made tonight possible. They were bunched together as if they were a line of defense and impossible to miss due to their pleased expressions. Paul saw me coming first and wrapped me up in his arms. My nerves were frayed, but I felt rejuvenated after our quick hug.

"We converted one." Emily said indifferently.

"Who?"

"Brady." Answered Paul, "He looked ready to turn tail even before we talked to him."

"The Elders have anything to say?"

"Mom is siding with us. I think she'll get through to Billy." Leah said, "Billy wouldn't let them hurt Chief Swans' dead daughter."

"Way to be sensitive, Leah." I rolled my eyes.

Emily grabbed one of my hands, "You have to be precise when making your argument. Understand? You know more than the rest of us. Put that to use."

I nodded. The things I knew were of no use, but maybe there was something from the books I could use to my advantage. I just didn't know what yet. Until I did know, I was going to wing it.

"Ugh. Why did he bring her?" Leah commented, obviously her anger getting the better of her, "I could just rip her to pieces…"

"Mhm?" I turned my head to get a good look at what was making her so upset. Pauls hand went in front of my face.

"You don't want to see."

I tugged on his hand removing it from eyes and that's when I saw it. The thing that had Leah mad all morning. The thing that made her twitch and sigh. The thing that everyone had been presumably hiding from me.

Seth and Leann. Leann's arm was tightly wound around his and she had a big flirty smile plastered on that could knock boys over back in Alabama.

Right then, I wanted to tear her throat out.

"What are they doing together?" I narrowed my eyes at their movements, somehow hoping to stun them into place.

"Imprint, Seth said. Imprint." Leah replied, on the verge of hysteria.

"Wow." My voice was laced with sarcasm, "Things just keep getting better and better don't they?"

* * *

The whole going to war with the Cullens was not intentional (this chappie wasn't supposed to even happen!), but I got to thinking this is what would happen if Sam got a hold of the books. Thus, this _BIG_ plot hole that I'm filling is adding on at least another 4 to 5 additional chapters.

Now you know. Seth and Leann = imprints  
_*DOOOOOMMMMMM*_

I didn't want to and **I told a bunch of you that I wasn't going to get them together**, but there were _PLENTY_ of signs through the story that I had to eventually tell myself, _"Hey, it was set up like this. Don't go changing the story at the end just because you don't like Leann anymore. SUCK IT UP MERCEDES AND DO IT!!!"_**  
I'M SO SORRY**. To those that are not happy with Leann/Seth pairing, just know that I'm not happy as well. I'll make it work like it was originally planned, actually no, like it was "secondly" planned. Plan one was to get Leann killed by the vampire that keeps haunting Evie. Haha. That idea was scraped.

**Again, I'm so sorry. **Feel free to leave me huge rants**. I deserve them.**

_Stay tuned_! Soon you'll see who wanted her to stay and who wanted her to go- I think you can gather some of it with this chappie.


	30. One Shot: Christmas With the Pack

**A Christmas one-shot**. I've been meaning to post this for a _LONG_ time.

**Is this what happens at the end of the story?**  
Nope. This one-shot will not give away any details of the story to come- it's mainly fluff, randomness, crack, and stuff for the lolz, I don't write enough of that. It's always drama, drama, drama. Bleh. We needed a break, agreed?

This is a separate branch, kind of a "_**What if this didn't happen**_" scenario. Evelyn is still apart of the pack, no Leann (For all the Leann haters), Seth has no imprint, no lunatic vampire, and of course all the original werewolves are there- that kind of thing.

So, no worries, there are no spoilers.

Here's to you, the readers, and over 400 reviews! Happy reading! ^^

* * *

"It was the night before Christmas and the little offering was still in a foul mood-"

"Shut it Call or these twinkle lights are going to be wrapped around your head and you can be our Christmas tree this year." I could almost hear Embrys' eyes rolling. We had been at this for nearly an hour now.

Practically the entire pack was here at Paul's house, excluding Jared and Kim, Sam and Emily, and of course, Quil with little Claire. Why did Emily decide she and Sam should have a night to themselves? Couldn't they have picked a different night? I could just kill Sam for agreeing with Emily, but I'd rather gouge my eyes out than walk in on them doing God knows what. For some reason what was left of the pack wanted to camp out here…and drink. (Thanks to wolfy genetics, even Brady and Collin could walk into a store and buy beer without the fear of being refused. Oh, how they boasted. It also helped that they were in this alleged "gang".)

Now, now, having the pack here was all fine and dandy, but since I'm not one for Christmas cheer, I had decided not to put up a tree- Paul had agreed at the time. Why should I? I was on Santa's naughty list anyway. If we were in Whoville I'd be the Grinch. Besides, it had been decided –before Emily canceled on us- we would spend Christmas with the Uleys. Meaning I wouldn't have to put up a tree, or bake cookies, or decorate the outside of the house with lights.

So much for that idea. Jacob and Seth had oh-so-kindly put up the lights outside. We were officially the brightest house in all of Washington. I bet we could even be confused for the Northern Star. Leah, which was the biggest surprise of all, brought over store bought cookies and poked them in the microwave- instant hot-fake-baked chocolate-chip cookies. That left me, cheerless and extremely angsty Evie, to decorate the seven and a half foot tall blue spruce that adorned the living room. Did I mention the top of the tree was crooked? Like we needed a tree topper anyway.

"Stop being such a baby. Put the lights on the tree, then the garland, and then-"

I threw a shiny purple ornament at Collin who ducked at the right moment with ease, "I know how to decorate a tree." I whined, twiddling my fingers around the lights I was supposed to be hanging up.

"Then prove it." Embry swaggered up next to me and swirled his beer bottle in front of my face, "No beer until you do."

"Oh like that's a motivator." Internally, I pouted, I'm pretty sure my face was puckered on the outside as well.

"Someone's being a Christmas bitch." Ugh, Leah. Did she ever get tired of her snide comments? She's on turbo charge three hundred and sixty-five days a year and I wasn't an exception anymore. Was it my fault she lent me that pretty sundress and Collin just happened to piss me off enough to phase? Didn't she know better than to lend out her favorite stuff? Hell, I even bought her a new dress that looked almost the same and apologized. No, not enough for Miss-I-don't-want-your-new-shit Leah.

I turned straight around and ignored her...for the most part, "Hope you don't choke." I muttered, referring to her insanely loud chewing of her cookie, "Die. Die. Die. Die."

Paul smoothly cut in and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, "Do your job or Santa won't bring you any presents." He kissed my cheek, hoping I would raise the flag in defeat.

"Well, Pauly-Pocket that's to damn bad." I snapped my finger for extra effect.

"Look here, I'm going to be Santa and you're going to be Santa's little helper." Slurred Embry who made no mind about butting into our conversation, "Little helper, Santa needs his beer. Beer is Santas most prized possession. Mr. Heat Miser there took Santas' beer. Do you understand what that means, little helper?"

I looked at the dubbed "Mr. Heat Miser", my Pauly-Pocket. Jeez, he was racking up on nicknames tonight. When had he taken Embrys' beer? I hadn't seen him do it- not a big surprise there.

"Little helper!" Embry barked again.

Did I _have_ to acknowledge Embrys' presence, let alone existence? Paul nudged my shoulder. Guess I had too, "What is it Santa?" I channeled an angelic sound into my voice, which made me sound like Claire. 'Cause, as always, Quil knew every pitch in her voice, when she was sad or mad, or when she just wanted something her way. All of this is why I was stuck on shifts with Quil. "Bonding" Sam had put it. More like "annoying" in my book.

Poor Embry, he looked like he was about to lose all of his nuts, maybe beer was that important to him, "Little helper, Santa is a very busy person. Santa is under a contract. You know what kind of contract? A contract that says that the little helper needs to get off her butt and decorate the tree before Santa can have any more beer!" He huffed, and then a devilish gleam came into his eyes, "Santa will spank you if you're a bad little helper."

"Oh, Embry, no-" I groaned at the vile image in my head.

"It's Santa." He growled, tipping his imaginary hat.

Seth, who had been unusually quiet throughout the night finally chipped in, "Bet we can make a game out of this."

I raised my twinkle lights in the air, "I'm not here to be Santas little toy or spank baby."

"That's right, you're _my_ spank baby." Pauls head rested on top of mine and his arms twisted underneath the rim of my shirt.

I swear he had the worst timing for everything. PDA wasn't on my "to-do-list", and yet, Paul seemed to like the idea of letting everyone know I was his. It was as if the term _soul mates_ didn't mean anything anymore. That's what I get for being involved with a male wolf with an obedience problem.

"Gag me." Leah sputtered quietly. Honestly, I knew the reason why she was here, and honestly, I knew there was going to be a hook up between Black and Clearwater tonight. I would wager my pretty Jeep on it. Not that I had the guts to say it aloud, but anyone in their right mind could see that that strapless dress was for more than just eye candy or that those little looks in Blacks direction were more than just subtle hints. It was full on war between the two. I was waiting for one to crack. Yeah, I was definitely shipping those two.

"What is with this evil aura?" If I had been drinking something I would surely have spit it out. Brady had went all mystical on us in the last two weeks- always talking about spirits, voices from the past, how to meditate, and he even went as far as to rearrange all of our furniture. He swore up and down that, "Feng shui is the secret to happiness." He also swore one day he would become a "Master of wisdom", whatever he meant by that I have no clue. "Ugh, Leah, you're blinding me you bitter monster!" OK, so maybe he had a long way to go if he wanted to be this master person.

The war started. Same as always.

"Don't call my sister a monster!"

"If you were in touch with your sixth sense you would be able to see the monster as well!" Personally, I'm glad I was not in touch with _my_ sixth sense. Brady and his bright ideas of "what he wants to be when he grows up", I'm afraid no one is going to hire that smart mouth.

"Leah?" I said cautiously.

She gave no warning when she pounced. They both tumbled through the side door, shredding their clothing in the process. One, Leah was going to be doing the attacking, and two, Brady was going to be doing the running. Leahs' snaps and barks rang out, never quite fading- she was keeping him in the La Push area. He wasn't going to be able to flee to Canada, not _this_ time anyway.

Jacob stood and scratched the back of his head, "Guess that's my cue. Can't let them kill one another."

I sighed in the silence we were left in. It was always like this. Why was it always Pauls house that was destroyed? "We should move." I said suddenly.

"Wish I could say I agree. No matter where we go they would follow."

"Ugh, their just like ants! Paul get the insect repellant! Quick, before they come back!"

He chuckled once, "Are we aiming for their eyes this time?"

"Let's just brain them." I dropped my twinkle lights onto a chair beside us, "Yeesh, you think they would learn."

"Ahem!"

"Lessons take time." Paul twirled me around so I was facing him, "As do…other things."

"Ahem!"

"Pauly-pocket, we're not alone." I laughed as he nuzzled my neck.

"OH GOD! Blind me and hit me with a spoon! There are children in here!" Embry shouted at once, causing Paul and I to break apart.

"Did you forget about us?" Seth taunted, "A minute more and our eyes would have been decimated. Can you two live with that? Knowing that-"

"Shut up, Seth." Said Collin and Embry perfectly in sync with one another.

Paul snorted beside me. Lately, he had been finding everything funny. Nothing could make him angry anymore. He was…completely different than the angry irrational Paul he once was.

"And you, little helper!" Embry swung around and pointed his finger at me, "Put those flashy lights on the tree!"

The twinkle lights were thrust back into my hands by Paul, "Who knows, maybe those "flashy lights" will give him a seizure. Better than Cable." He winked.

"But-"

"No buts." He said sternly, "It's not going to hurt you."

I sagged my shoulders, finally taking a defeated stance, "Fine."

"Good, because Santa," Embry eyed a beer bottle on the table and snagged it, "needs a legal beer."

"Rehab would do him some good." I heard Collin stage whisper.

"You HOOLIGAN!" Both Embry and Collin made a dash at the same time, the beer bottle never leaving his hand. It was safe to say Embry was going to make _another_ hole in our wall. The boy gets drunk and knocks holes in our walls. I'm waiting for the day he gets hit by a truck.

"Come on, Seth. We have a job to do." Paul motioned with his fingers and Seth quickly jumped up, all too eager.

"Roger. Have fun, Evie."

I watched through narrowed eyes as they trickled out the door. They were up to something. Stupid wolves. On the bright side, I was finally by myself, in the much needed peace and quiet environment I had been dreaming of.

For the next hour I decorated the humongous tree. I was no scrimper. So I went all out and used everything in the two big boxes the pack had brought in. Although, I would have much rather saw them take everything back _out_ of the house instead of keeping it in. I couldn't complain about anything now. The tree was decorated, the lights were flashing, and everything looked severely shiny. My handiwork looked like something out of a Martha Stewart catalog from hell; moreover, it looked like I went to the Martha Stewart School for Design.

"It looks like..." I trailed off, staring at the overzealous tree. There were no words that came to my mind that _accurately_ described it.

"What'd you _do_? S'not pretty." Jacobs's voice came from the door he had left through hours before.

"Looks like she got the idea from throw-up." Brady muttered.

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. The tree didn't look _that_ bad.

"Aw, we've upset her." Brady said, sauntering my way, "We'll make it up to you, promise." His arms looped through mine and he started to pull me out the door.

"What are you doing?" I grabbed a hold to the door frame to keep him from dragging me out.

"Stop being a worry wart." Jacob moaned and easily loosened my hands.

Outside it was snowing. Lots of white pure snow. While not my first snow fall, it was certainly more beautiful than others, especially combined with the lights on the house. I noticed Paul off to the side, smiling and looking perfectly at ease.

"Let go of me you buzzards!" I scrambled away from the two and made my way towards Paul.

"I thought they were like ants?" My imprint called, taking long strides to get to me faster.

"Buzzards describe their ability to pick unsuspecting prey and annoy them to death." I stopped in front of him and took his extended hand, "Mister, what have you been doing all this time? You haven't even seen my tree decorating abilities. Next time I'm not doing it, you hear me? That was torture! Leave it to Emily and Kim, but not me. Capiche?"

He held back a fighting smile, "Are you done yet?"

"Well, no, not quite." I said with widening eyes, "I have a lot more to complain about."

"Is that so?"

I nodded, "That's right."

"Can it wait?" He asked, bending downwards to peck my lips, "You can complain tomorrow all you want."

I strained my neck trying to recapture his lips with my own. If this is how he was going to be, who was I to complain? He could kiss me all day long and then some. It's about time his happiness rubbed off on me.

Paul smirked, "You didn't answer my question."

"You know, when you pull back like that you get a double chin." I grinned and pinched his skin.

"Oh?" His dark coffee colored eyes twinkled with mischief, "Times up." Hit tall frame straightened to his full height.

"But…you're not playing fair."

"You're the one who-"

"Who what?"

"Who wouldn't answer the question."

I placed my hands on my hips, "You're the one who's teasing me." He gave me an incredulous look and shifted his gaze to his feet.

"Who's teasing who?"

"Paul." I whined, pulling on his arm, "Stop it."

"Stop _what_?" He said in the same voice I used, but I found it more condescending.

"That."

"That what?"

"Shut up Paul."

We were quiet for a few moments. Pauls little game had in turn made me annoyed. It was all _his_ fault. Way to screw with my Christmas Eve. He could go and kiss Embry for all I cared.

"Hey."

"What?" I snapped.

"It's midnight." Paul grabbed at me and tucked me in the space under his arm despite my attempts to wiggle out, "Merry Christmas." His voice whispered into my ear.

I sighed succumbing to his husky voice, "Yeah, yeah. Merry Christmas."

The tips of his fingers trailed down my back, making me arch into him to escape the addicting tingly feeling, "And for the record…_I _was the one teasing you."

He admitted it! I jerked my head up to give some sort of reply when his lips pressed into mine. Soft and fluttery and full of fire. I took it back, I definitely did _not_ want Paul kissing anyone but me like this.

"Are you two going to suck face all night long?"

The tendons in my neck constricted as I twisted my head around, "Embry, don't you have a home to go to? Or maybe a cow to milk?"

"It's Santa." He tsked and mulled over his thoughts tugging on his imaginary beard. "Young kids these days. Paul, I just don't see it happening tonight. Better luck next time."

I rolled my eyes, understanding the underlying context in his sentence. It didn't matter. What we did or what we didn't do. None of it mattered. Because nothing stayed a secret for very long with a pack full of mind readers.

Embry huffed, obviously frustrated that he hadn't ruffled our feathers, "Little helper!" He barked and tugged me away from Paul, "About that contract…"

I glanced back toward Paul who was shaking his head, trying not to laugh.

Next time…Embry would be put into a cage for Christmas and I would decorate a tree with Paul instead of without him. Yes, next time, I would become a better imprint and become a little more joyful.

After all, with Paul and I, there was always a 'next time'.

* * *

A bunch of crack, yes, yes? Can you blame me though? We all needed this. For sure.

**Now, let's **_**all**_** be serious for the next chapter, okay?** And let's stop with the long authors notes. ^^

Actually, there was a different ending to this one-shot, but I found it a bit too serious for a bunch of crack. THUS, it will be used in the actual story. If you ask what the ending was, I can't tell you. It would ruin everything. ^^


	31. The Tribal Meeting: Part Two

If you haven't already, check out my newest Twilight story, "_Further From Normal_".

/shameless advertising  
I haven't updated anything recently because my Great Granny was in the hospital (and because this chapter was hella hard to write). Thankfully, everything went well (and is **almost** fine now), and I can resume updating. ^^

* * *

_Seth and Leann. Leann's arm was tightly wound around his and she had a big flirty smile plastered on that could knock boys over back in Alabama.  
Right then, I wanted to tear her throat out.  
"What are they doing together?" I narrowed my eyes at their movements, somehow hoping to stun them into place.  
"Imprint, Seth said. Imprint." Leah replied, on the verge of hysteria.  
"Wow." My voice was laced with sarcasm, "Things just keep getting better and better don't they?"_

--

The waves of hate and remorse must have been coming off of me pretty strong. Seth and Leann didn't even come near me _or_ Leah, let alone even _look_ at us- although I could understand why everyone was avoiding Leah; it was like her head was spinning round and round while steam came out of her ears. The perfect sequel to a horror movie and the grand finale- all in one. I was gonna get hell for that thought later.

Pauls' hands were tightly gripped around my upper arms. Apparently he thought I was going to make a run for it. Truth be told, he was right. The night was just beginning and I was already in the worst mood possible. It didn't help that Pauls face was stuck in a sad expression after my initial reaction. There was nothing I could tell him to make him feel better about the situation. I wanted Seth to be happy, but this happiness he achieved overnight was going to drag him down. My feelings were nothing more than that of a big sister, but it was the protectiveness and callousness I felt toward them that caught me off guard. There was nothing I could do right now. It wasn't the time for me to be rash in front of the Elders. I needed to gain their vote and not ruin my chance by throwing a much needed temper tantrum- furthering the idea that I was indeed, a female version of Paul. That could always wait. I would get my chance to confront them, all in due time.

I gave another deep sigh and wiggled around so that my face was buried in Pauls' chest. My hands clung to his bare back as I steadied myself. I needed a good distraction, "We should…go on another date after this."

He gave me an approving squeeze or maybe he had just been shocked for a moment, "Where to? Saturn?"

"I was thinking Antarctica. That would be fun, right?" No smelly wolves to follow or bother us, just me and Paul…to keep each other warm. The thought was nice, for a moment at least.

"Antarctica?" His bushy right brow arched up as he pulled me away from him, "If you want to see the penguins there's a zoo in Seattle…"

I clicked my tongue twice, "I lied. How about Mexico? Or how about Hawaii?"

"I don't get you." He said suddenly, almost as if he were amused. "What's gotten into you?"

"No to Hawaii then." Slowly I drug my hands to his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek, "Your house, with popcorn and hamburgers and a _really_ big tub of vanilla and fudge ice cream. Deal?"

"My house?" He leaned down and pressed his lips to my ear, "_Our house_."

_Our house_? I kinda liked the sound of that. My cheeks did as well for they flamed and burned, "Are we sharing assets as well?"

"Maybe…What's in it for me?"

The pack was taking their seats amongst the logs, the meeting was about to start. Nervous cramped my stomach. I felt sick and I had no time to puke before I went on stage, "A camping trip with that pretty red Jeep of yours."

Pauls' arm slid around my waist and we turned to walk toward the fire, "Two dates in one night? You've got yourself a deal."

"Guess we shouldn't make plans though. We need to make sure we both come back alive after tonight." I gulped as I took in Sams steely look. Note to self: never again read a _fictitious_ book about mythical creatures. The author lies.

"What are you planning to do if this fails?"

I controlled the shock and the thought of failing. It hadn't occurred to me that I could fail or to be precise, what would actually happen if we went to war. I'm sure my complexion looked green, "I'd use the old Scar from the Lion King tactic. Throw Sam off a cliff and let tons of moose run over him." I managed weakly.

Paul just laughed and took his seat while I made my way toward the Council members and Alpha. How I wish I could laugh along side him, inside I was holding in my guts before I spewed. Those who had been talking were silenced by the heavy atmosphere that was quickly building. It was going to be a long night, and it was already long enough as it was.

Old Quil was the first to speak; his tenor voice was no more than a whisper in the wind, "You have made quite the commotion, young lady." His tone was nothing less than accusing, "State why you have called this meeting without the approval of your Alpha."

His words made my mind stumble, "The reason I asked for this meeting is because I disapprove of the way Sam is handling-"

"And that was merit in itself?"

I gaped at Old Quil for a moment and recovered, "Sending the pack off to face their death is not a justifiable reason that requires actual thought?"

Although Quil Sr. was brittle, his tone and eyes were that of ice and wisdom, "What makes this fight more dangerous than the others?"

I hesitated.

"Is there no more danger after all?" Old Quil asked, backing me into a corner with his words.

If I had been a little more immature I would have probably rolled my eyes. Instead, I took Emily's advice, "Imagine, if you will an army. Not just any army with brute strength and tactics, but one with intelligence and far more experience than everyone's age here combined. Now, that said army would have the efficiency to easily take down one of us with ease if we were not on our guard."

Billy Black scoffed, not letting me go on any further, as if I had just said something unimaginable, "Aren't you forgetting something? Werewolves were made to take down vampires. This is why they exist!"

My annoyance meter went up, "This pack consists of eleven members. Three of which have never actually killed a vampire themselves. _Their_ coven consists of eight members. A mind reader who could easily warn his family of any danger and intercept _any_ strategy we might have- hell, he even knows our strategies! Not to mention ones whose gift is empathy. Can you imagine almost falling asleep during battle?! If you add that all up, you're looking at an even eight on eight fight, with three extra inexperienced wolves. Who do you think the Cullens would go after first? The ones with most bite or the ones who can only gnaw?"

"You're acting as if we can't do anything." Said the irritated Jared from behind me.

"We have _five_ liabilities within this pack." I was beginning to doubt my argument. What was I doing besides telling the wolves that we had no chance of winning without dieing? When in truth I had no idea if that was even true. My 'winging it' was just not working.

"_Five_?" Emily's voice called out full of uncertainty.

I turned to her and noticed she was writing everything I was saying down. At least I would be in the history books, "Yes, five. Collin, Brady, Seth, Leah, and myself."

Several outraged voices shouted at once making me lose my patience.

"If Collin and Brady were to get in a sticky situation, do you think Quil or Embry wouldn't go to their rescue? If Seth was being charged at by Emmett do you really think Leah would let him take the blow? Oh! Not only that but Sam would interfere if it was involving Leah." I sighed and spun around to face Paul, "And if Paul thought I was having a hard time he would come and save me, risking his life and limb."

"We're meant to take apart bloodsuckers that risk the lives of others."

"What lives? Are you talking about Bella, Sam? She _chose_ to become one of them."

"We also are meant to risk _our_ lives any at cost to ensure the safety of our people!"

"Are our people near the Cullens? Are the Cullens savages?"

Sam placed his mask on, not letting a smidge of emotion out, "The Cullens have killed a person. What makes you think they won't do it again?"

"For the simple fact that they're vegetarians. Bella was an exception not a fact, she fell in love with a vampire. They didn't kill her, she's spending eternity with the one she loves."

"And that makes it okay?" Quil asked sickened.

"If I, _hypothetically,_" And I stressed the word hypothetically, it wasn't as if this was something I'd _like_ to say, "…If I had fell in love with a vampire, at any cost I would want to be that person for forever. So in a sense, yeah, it makes it okay."

Murmurs fell through the small crowd. Had I just said something inexcusable? Well, hell.

Old Quil silenced everyone. It was obvious he was the most respected council member here, "This is a grave matter, young lady. Just whose side are you on?"

Right then, I realized I was fighting to save not only my packs lives, but the Cullens as well. On top of saying the wolves wouldn't win, I was also defending the actions of the Cullens. How did things turn out like this? I couldn't lie. My _main_ concern was saving Paul. That's all that mattered. I was willing to say what was necessary to stop a war, even if it meant exaggerating a bit. Sheesh, I had it bad.

"Young lady, answer the question."

I opened my mouth to speak several times before I finally found my voice, "I'm neutral."

"Your neutrality, it's caused by your books?"

This was bad, really bad. Everything was taking a turn for the worse. My argument was lacking in almost every way, "You could say that." I said slowly. It wasn't surprising that the Council already knew about the books, it was a little uncomfortable however. After all, I went from second girl of the pack to traitor and liar in just a few short days. Meaning they couldn't actually take my word for anything anymore. Gosh, this sucked!

Old Quil settled back into his seat. I counted to thirteen Mississippi until he spoke, "You're well aware that the treaty is void, are you not?"

Shit. Null? Void? Broken? Shit. Shit. Shit. I hadn't even thought of that, but hadn't Jacob broken the treaty long before? Did that mean the wolves could get a freebie and not the leeches? Shit! "The Cullens have been on good terms with the Quileutes for years. Jacob broke it first when telling Bella! How can it be broken _again_ over something so-"

"It seems you haven't studied enough." Sam interrupted, "It was one their conditions. They were not to bite any human."

"But that was over a year-"

"Evelyn, enough is enough. You will stay behind when the time comes."

"I see no reason why to pursue this matter further." Old Quil announced.

My stomach lurched. My gut was telling me this wasn't right. This couldn't happen! The act I was playing was finally up, my calm mannerisms broke. If I was going out, I was going to go out with a bang, "What about Seth, Sam? Do you really think he will fight Edward? Oh, and don't let me forget about Jacob. If you say he'll do whatever you tell him too, that's bullshit and you know it. I call your bluff."

"Evelyn." Sam said serenely, there was an underlying force he applied to my name. I could feel it. It made my skin tingle, "It's over."

"I'm not done it. Not even close. Do you honestly think you have a united pack right now? One that would risk their life and leave the people they care about behind? Can you be the one to bring them to their death? How could you ever face the people around you after that? You say you're doing the right thing. You might be, if it were under different circumstances, and if the Cullens were killers."

"Enough." Sam said fiercely, rising out of his seat to stand tall and firm.

I couldn't stop myself, I was on a roll, but the words were heavy and slow due to the Alphas command, "You've made a mistake, Sam. The books are in Bella's point of view, but the events that played within it are still the same. You had plenty of time to stop the Cullens, to call a war, fact is you didn't. What's your reason now?"

It seemed like the world had stopped and was holding its breath along with the pack and Council. The wind picked up, sparking the fire to whip back and forth. I felt dizzy now that I shot my mouth off. I faintly wondered why Jacob had not spoken. Perhaps I had caused old wounds to resurface or maybe he had nothing to say.

"What's _your_ problem, Evelyn? Do you have some sort of side deal with the bloodsuckers?" Collin called out angrily.

"Watch _your_ mouth, pup." I heard Paul growl.

"If we don't go we're saying its okay that they killed someone, but I'm all for _not_ going"

"Brady you chicken!" Another pack member taunted.

Kims' timid voice spoke up, above the harsh whispers, "A war is not something that should be decided lightly." She began.

My ears perked her way, as her cool and collected voice shut the mouths of others. No one messed with Kim, not ever. She was the werewolf mafias' best kept secret (Yeah, that didn't include kidnapping- she was the worst.); her opinion was apparently never taken lightly, and I sincerely hoped that she was my Golden Ticket.

Her hands folded neatly in her lap and she sat straight up, taking a deep breath, "Obviously, we need to see both sides of the argument." I could tell her cheeks were pulsing with blood- she was blushing so furiously and yet she didn't stumble with her words, "Not only that, but the imprints and families opinions too." She said the last part softly.

"I agree." Emily spoke now. Maybe this was a back up plan? "Mr. Ateara, please reconsider. We could draw this meeting inside, without the pack and discuss privately." My eyes locked on Sams face as it crumpled in despair, and in a split second that said expression was gone. I hated this. I hated having Emily testify against her Sam. Hell, even I didn't like butting heads with him. That was another thing that didn't feel right.

Sue chipped in; I doubted she liked the idea of her two children going off to war, "It would be for the best if _our_ wolves cooled down for a bit. No one needs to get angry about left over bread crumbs."

I could have kissed Sue! Even if her idiom was a little off, it was as if she read my mind. My stomach had not settled, but I felt a world of better. Well, not really, but seeing so many people wanting what I wanted made me happy.

Old Quil locked eyes with each of the Council members and then he moved on to the pack, and their imprints, and lastly to me. I hoped my face was expressionless, no need to make it look like I was thrilled with this new development, "We will resume tomorrow morning." His voice was tired; undoubtedly this was wearing him out, "Sam, your pack is not to be near the meeting."

To my surprise, Sam was utterly calm as he obeyed Old Quil, "I understand."

"Evelyn." Old Quil addressed me, using my name for the first time, "Next time, let your Alpha decide what is to be to deemed worthy of a Tribal Council. You are _not_ an Alpha and there is no need for you to act like one. Learn your place within the pack. It is your duty to not only respect and honor, but to give aid to your Alpha. That is your greatest weakness."

I focused on my feet, and away from his piercing gaze, "Yes sir, I understand."

"You must remember, Evelyn. Your Alpha is only as strong as his weakest link. A pack divided is a pack lost."

With that, the Tribal Council ended and I felt like a spanked puppy.

The cliffs cleared out quickly, almost too quickly- everyone wanted to escape the awful feeling tonight had brought. The fire was extinguished, leaving no trace that a supernatural meeting had just occurred. There was a soft breeze that seemed to drain away all my negative thoughts and the moon was a crescent shape in the dark grey sky.

A cold hand touched just below my elbow, "Evie. Hey, can we talk?" Leanns voice was a whine, high, pitchy, and begging.

I flinched away from her touch and barely turned to look at her, "I really, _really_, don't wanna talk to you. Not right now. Especially not right now." My voice shook as I strained the words out. I faintly noticed no other wolves were around us, probably her doing. I wish Paul hadn't left…

"But Evie," She cooed, insisting, "I have to tell you something."

I concentrated on my breathing. It was hard dealing with so much stress on top of the fact that I wanted to strangle her to death. Leah would probably be mad. She definitely would want in on that.

She took my silence as a cue to talk, "Listen. You know that wolfy thing you do? Well, Seth he imprinted. On me." She laughed nervously, "I know you kinda had a thing, but that's over right? Besides, Seth is super hot and -"

My body snapped in her direction, I don't know if it was my eyes or the snare on my face that caused her to gasp and step back, "Imprint? Does he actually know you? Have you told him about that bun roasting in your oven?"

Her ice blue eyes hardened. She looked different than the Lee I knew, "I'll tell him when I want to!" She snapped back.

"Right, and that's code for what? Never?"

"You should be happy. You're with Paul. Seth should be outta your life and now that he's with me you don't have to worry about him anymore."

I could feel my shoulders shaking slightly, "Now that he's with you, I have to worry about him even more." I replied in a flat voice.

She gasped again, "How can you say that? We're best friends!"

"How can _you_ prance up here to La Push with no money, while running away from your parents because of something you did? Did expect me to pull a miracle from my ass? It's your responsibility; I don't have cosmic powers to make everything better!"

"Seth made things better." She pouted, obviously not fazed by my words.

"And if you hurt him, in any fucking way, you won't have one wolf after you, you'll have two. Mark my words. Think twice before you dump him and have him crawling around after you all broken. Just because I'm not with him doesn't mean I don't care about him."

Leann flipped her brown hair behind her shoulders, "You'll stop being my friend because I'm with your ex? How shallow."

Ugh. She was just like a bad penny, "Shallow? You should know about that better than me."

Then she laughed at me and shook her head back and forth, "Seems to me you want to get rid of me. Maybe you should think of Seth before you say things."

"Maybe you should stop with this bitch act and tell him the truth."

Something flickered across her face. Indecision maybe? "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

"Obviously someone should." I looked pointedly at her flat belly and then met her pain filled eyes. My heart lurched. Was I being too hard on her? I let out a long sigh, "Just be at Tribal Council tomorrow."

"I thought you'd be happy now that I'm in with your secret club. It's not like I did anything bad."

My temper flared once again and I let out what I was thinking, "Why don't you just shut your darn trap for once! Do you have a death wish?" I took a few steps back from her. My hands were in fists and my fingernails dug into the skin there reminding me that she was only human, "You've done more than your fair share of making things hard on me here. Especially with the other day! Blurting out about the books. Do you not understand that a war could be started? More than half the pack doesn't like me now- not you, _me_. My own pack distrusts _me _because _you_ let it slip out that a fictional book was real, when I hadn't even planned to tell them yet! Start using your brain from now on."

I didn't have to look at her face to know she was crying or that she angrily shouted a few incoherent insults at me as she ran off. This girl was making me feel bad. I realized I wasn't sorry for what I said. I was upset because she wasn't taking responsibility for anything and letting everything fall onto my shoulders when I didn't have the strength to carry her problems too. Hell, I could barely keep my life together, how was I supposed to help hers?

Instead of going after her, and repairing our friendship with flowers and sunshine, I stumbled back to Pauls' house- where I knew he was waiting.

* * *

Remember, Breaking Dawn **did not** happen! Don't get confused! (I know I confused myself for about ten minutes…) *brain fart*

**PS:** I just finished the "_**House of Night**_" series. I can't wait for the next book! ~I smell some fanfiction, possibly. D:


	32. Dreams Aren't Fiction, Darling

Why do some of y'all want a Leann POV. Why, reviewers, WHY?  
I'll see if I can write something from Lees' POV, but only 'cause I love y'all. No promises though.

Also, I have **OFFICIALLY** written ALL of WoP (I wrote the ending first~!). Just a few more chappies, adding a "afterwords" chappie. Y'all want a hint? Here's a spork so you can stab me with it, no hint for you~!

*cackles* How evil I feel! Enjoy lovelies!  
/rant at the end of chapter (why the chappie is late).

* * *

My thoughts were erratic as I stomped up the stairs leading to Pauls house. Hundreds of tiny hummingbirds jabbed the insides of my skull, their main goal was to stop all normal brain function. On any other day, I would have been glad, today, not so much. One thing I could tell was that there was insistent chatter coming from the little house- a much different tune than the one currently pounding my head. Then the throbbing seemed to skitter to a stop for the briefest moment as I got a good look at the people inside the house. I was expecting Paul, not an army of ironclad warriors. Too bad, I received both.

Embry was here, along with Brady and Leah. For some reason, this felt a little like headquarters.

"Eves!" Shouted Brady, breaking out into a grin, "We've been waiting. Come and eat some cake and- Oh. Hey, are you okay?"

It was then Pauls' large body obscured my vision, "Evelyn." He whispered. For some reason he sounded kinda scared, "Evelyn, look at me."

I did as I was told, but I really didn't _see_ anything.

He sensed that, "Tell me what happened." His hand came and brushed my cheeks, smearing the few tears that had betrayed me.

It would have been rude of me to say I didn't want to talk about it. Which, hell, I really didn't want to talk about how Leann had practically sucked half my brain away. I focused on a different question, but my tone shown I was disconnected from the conversation, "Why are they here?"

"Oh please, like I'd be here if I had somewhere else to go. Dumb and dumber just happened to shadow my every step." I recognized Leahs' scoffing voice.

Embry seemed to ignore her comments, "I'm here because I thought we could come up with a backup plan."

"And I decided to follow."

Paul cut in before they could say anything more, "They're here to help."

Maybe it was my nerves, maybe it was just the fact I wanted everyone to go home and make nice with Sam, or maybe it was 'cause I was done trying for tonight, "This isn't a base. There's no good versus evil or them or even an us. Old Quils right, we can't let this…stop us from being…" I struggled for words through my foggy mind. They came slower and slower, "We can't stop being friends…We've gotta stop _picking_ on one another…and help Sam make…the right choices…" I closed my eyes for a second and it was bliss. I hadn't known how tired I actually was.

"She's beat." I heard Brady mutter.

"Dead on her feet." Embry rhymed and laughed a little.

"She needs rest. I'll be right back." Pauls' arms easily lifted me up and he began to move in the direction of my room. I didn't object to the ease his arms brought me or the smell that was undeniably Paul- that my pores seemed to absorb.

"Makes me wonder what she said to that little skank." Leahs sneer sounded far off through a great big tunnel, or possibly, I was on the other side of the universe.

Paul took his time laying me down, pulling off my shoes, and tucking me into the thin flat sheet. I couldn't make myself open my eyes. They were too heavy, besides, I had a _little_ faith that Paul wouldn't ravage my body while I was in sleep mode.

I heard his sigh and the press of his lips against my cheek, "You did good tonight."

And then he was gone and I was out before I knew it.

--

"Such a dear shame, Evelyn. A war's about to start and you will be all alone." It was _his_ voice again. The bloodsucker, "It's been awhile my darling. Glad to see you haven't forgotten me."

I blinked twice and focused on my surroundings- I was still in my room at Pauls' house. Was this real? Was it a dream? Then as if on cue, that sickening smell of straight bleach hit my nose. I couldn't know for sure. Dreams had lied to me before.

"Oh, no, no. Dreams do not lie. Instead, they let you view the world in a slightly different way. They give you glimpses and feelings of things you normally wouldn't expect, but this, do you know if it's real or not?" His tinkering laugh surrounded me and a slight breeze ruffled my hair, "And sometimes dreams give away your secrets."

The laced hatred in his voice caused me to twist to the side, looking for any sign of him. Like all the other times I had met him, I was scared, no, I was beyond scared, and it shook me to my bones, shattering them into thousands of pieces. Those splinters of dread washed up through my system, prickling the hairs on my arms.

"Small one, afraid of something you cannot see or fight. Are you really a wolf?" This time it was a taunt, an insult.

The room was much too tiny, was he in here with me? This should be easy, I _was _a wolf. Concentrate, I demanded to myself.

"What if you find me? Shall we have a bloodbath?" A razor of a nail sliced through my forearm breaking my will, "Your room is in need of a bit of color, and I'm all for _killing_ you."

Realization dawned on me. He was _threatening_ me. It wasn't like the other times, where he wanted me to become a leech; he actually wanted to kill me!

"As I should. _Liars_ are no good."

Liar?

Then his arms griped my body in such a fierce hold I was sure to turn blue- I hadn't seen it coming and my body tried to recoil from the sudden contact, "Your dreams have been lying to me. I had been so sure that you had been gifted with clairvoyance, possibly even able to rewind to previous events, but sadly no. You're an anomaly, _Evie_. You're books have proven to me you are a liar and you are _no_ good." He repeated.

The grip of his arms suddenly left me and I dropped to my knees. There was no feeling in my arms, I couldn't even move them if I tried. I was a horrible wolf. Sam would be so disappointed in me.

"_Your_ Sam isn't here and when he leaves for war, I will get you." Lips were pressed against my ear, "I will kill you and leave a trail of parts for your friends, and then I will kill them. One…by…one. Until they're all gone."

Paralyzed. There was nothing stopping me from moving except my own fear. He was going to kill me unless I warned Sam that the leech was planning a trap. He was going to kill my pack unless I did something. He was going to kill my _Paul_. Nausea churned in my already tender stomach.

The leech surprised me by laughing, causing me to flinch and cry out as the pain in my arms awoke with a vengeance, "Do you think he will believe you? After all you said to him? He will think it's another ploy, your pack members will mock you as an attention seeker, and you will be right where I want you."

_All alone_, my mind conjured.

"_All alone_." He echoed me, "As I have told you before, _you have no one_. They will not save you. They will not come to your aid. They will not even notice you as they fight my brothers and sisters. Your death is imminent, Evie!" There was a clapping sound as if he found this to be exciting, "Such a grand day!"

"No. No." I whimpered. Then a thought occurred to me. I wouldn't be alone if they didn't go to war. My pack would not abandon me, even if they did hate me, they would never abandon one of their own.

"Do not take me lightly, darling. On second thought," There was a sudden change in scenery. Woods, we were surrounded by woods now, ones that I saw every time I phased. Then a streak of dark silver, "I'll get the ones closest to you."

Unlike previous dreams, I had never witnessed how someone I loved would die. It was always shown to me afterward. I had _never_ wanted to see how they would die. Seeing it seemed as though it would be the worst of the two. Knowing you could stop it before it happened. Knowing the pain could be avoided. This time, this was different from how it would be when or if I faced it in reality.

My body wouldn't move to warn the silver streak. My mouth wouldn't open to scream a deathly signal. I was invisible- as I should be to this mythical world. Another blur joined the silver one. They seemed to dance together, but it was over before it even really begun. The killer was perched on the silver streaks back, his teeth were latched onto the victim, and his neck was twisted at an odd angle. To my horror, the killer began to dismember the silver streak; spurts of red liquid sprayed the area. A bloodbath. One at a time. One by one, until the silver streak was completely unrecognizable. I couldn't look away, nothing in this cruel world could make me look away. True to his word. This silver streak was my Paul.

Perhaps it was because no words came from my lips, or no tears came from eyes, but the monster walked toward me. Covered in my Pauls blood. I was numb; my eyes stared unseeing, not wanting to see what was right in front of me.

His liquid covered hand cupped my cheek- much the same as Paul had done earlier, "What shall you do when the one you love is the target? Play this game with me, _Evie_. Do not deny me this tiny pleasure. I'll get you, _no matter what_."

--

There was a difference, waking up from this new dream. I expected sobs and shrilling screams, I even expected to find myself clutching onto Paul, utterly afraid. It didn't come. The feeling was stoic and I was unable to grasp even a shred of fear. This wasn't normal behavior for me, I knew I should be afraid, but I also knew that I wasn't _allowed_ to be afraid. I was, however, lying in my own pool of sweat, my heart rapid- it was the only give away that I had been through something traumatic.

I didn't know what the time was- it wouldn't have made a difference. My mind was made up, by stupidity or the realization of the inevitable- I wasn't sure. No matter how heart breaking, no matter how much my body willed me to stop, no matter if I got hurt in the process- it only mattered if the ones I loved were unharmed. Knowing I had the power to keep them from being hurt or even worse killed, I was motivated.

The whole idea was self-sacrificing, it made me wonder if I could really meet the vampire face to face, then kill him. Could I? The line that lain between rational and irrational was blurred. As I opened the front door, leaving the sleeping wolves behind, I knew I could meet him, killing him, however, felt like a joke. A very bad one lacking humor and leaving a bitter taste.

What would I have to do to kill him? What would I be willing to give up? A painful spasm rocketed through my stomach. I realized what I could possibly happen. I could die. There would be no happy endings for me if that happened. My happiness. My love. My time with Paul. Doing something so dangerous was fine with me. It was okay with me if I put myself into a situation that could ultimately kill me, but would that be fine with Paul? Would Paul hurt if I died? Would he live normally? No, he'd suffer, and probably die with me.

I sank down on the steps, suddenly feeling as if I'd throw up the nonexistent food in my stomach. Paul die? Because of me? I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't let him do that to himself. I wouldn't. Then the line that held rationality appeared signaling I had just about done something incredibly stupid. There had to be a different plan- one that didn't involve me dieing or Paul becoming a victim of a vampire attack. I just didn't know what that plan could possibly be.

I started rattling off things in my head. I _could_ tell Paul about the vampire. He would go crazy and possibly try to find the vampire, leaving Embry or someone to protect me. Thus evoking the idea that he would risk his life. The emotionally unstable werewolf couldn't handle anything that dealt with me in trouble; it would put him as the emotionally hysteric werewolf with no hope of recovery. That was out. No telling Paul, for now. I _could_ try talking to Sam, but he might think it was a ploy, as the leech had said. He shouldn't even want to see me, let alone hear my voice. Who could I tell? What would I say? Freddy Kruger is visiting me in my dreams and I think he's going to go on murdering spree. Hell no.

Great job evil vampire, you just _had_ to pick the wrong night to come visit me.

This was a huge mess. How could I possibly balance a war, Leann, and a raging lunatic vampire all in one week? I groaned and slumped against the side railing. Why did I get trapped in a world full of make-believe? Why couldn't they have been like those critters in Willy Wonka? They seemed a bit friendlier.

Someone cleared their throat and I glanced up, "What did you _do_ to her?"

My eyes blurred for a moment, then focused, "Huh, Seth?"

* * *

**HERE'S WHY THE CHAPPIE IS LATE:**

Okay. My Internet went down. I called my ISP, they said everything was working fine. I called Dell; they said it was my ISP. A technician came. He said it was my computer. I reformatted it (again, and LOST all my videos and music. Thankfully, I had backed up my stories.). Didn't work- I thought then it might be my Network Adapter. Called my ISP again, they still said it's my computer. I called Dell and he had a conference call with my ISP. My phone goes dead. I call my ISP AGAIN. They say it's the Modem now (after I reformatted the fucking thing!). Dell called me. The same technician comes back- he thought it might be Norton, I uninstall it. Doesn't work. I send my techie cousin the computer and he confirms that it's the Network Adapter after reformatting it for the second time in a week. I call Dell and say I want my Motherboard replaced. They give me shit and I demand they send a technician (since, hello it's under warranty). And wha-la, here we are today!

Gosh, seriously, Dell has called me 7 times; I've called them too many times to count. I've spent at least 10 hours talking to Dell, and my ISP. My Internet/computer has been down for over 3 weeks. It's truly unbelievable.

On a brighter note, my mama said that within the this year she is gonna buy me a laptop. I'm excited.

Also, I bought myself a new phone, a Samsung T349. It's cute~!

Sorry for my rant. I really, REALLY, needed to get that out.


	33. Worst Comes to Worst!

_Someone cleared their throat and I glanced up, "What did you _do_ to her?"_

_My eyes blurred for a moment, then focused, "Huh, Seth?"_

**--**

When you speak of the devil, the devils minions will appear in less than three seconds afterwards. I had officially learned my lesson.

"She won't tell me. At all. She just cried. Evie, she talked to you, you said something didn't you? I thought you were friends. Why would you make her cry?"

Lee was making me out to be the instigator. It was _my_ fault she was pregnant, when I wasn't even playing on a mans team? Ugh. This could only mean she hasn't told him anything yet. Well, you know what they say, an eye for an eye, "She made herself cry." I said blandly.

From the tough act Seth was trying to pull, I saw a slip in his façade. He was just a kid; the last thing he could handle was a baby, "What do you mean?"

"I mean maybe you should ask her instead of blaming me. I'm _not _the bad guy. Talk to her; get her to tell you the truth. If you still don't get it, then come and see me. I'll explain it in wolf terms, okay?"

"So you didn't do anything? 'Cause she said that you-"

"Yeah, well, you'll see she has a habit of saying things aren't her fault. Be careful with her. As in _you_ be careful." I held up my hand as he was about to ask what did that mean, "Just go, talk to her." Strangle her, I added mentally.

He nodded quickly, then indecision marred his features and he plopped down beside me, "'Sup?"

His nonchalance made me smile. He was such a faker, couldn't even be mad at me for five minutes without caving, "Oh, you know, just trying to save the world."

In the corner of my eye, I saw him nod again, "Bad guy after you?"

"Always."

Seth started to talk animatedly, "I bet it's just like Transformers, am I right? What with all the big robot fights and all. It's simple really; you bring in your group of robot friends and beat them to smithereens. It's always easier with help. They wouldn't stand a chance!"

"A giant can of robot whoop-ass?"

"Of course." He laughed and then sobered up, "You're not kidding are you?"

I didn't answer.

"About the bad guy thing. Is he back? Did you see him, Evie?"

My heart rate started to increase and I willed myself to stay calm, "No. I haven't seen him."

"Liar."

"Seth-"

"I know you well enough to know you're lying. Besides, I was out here earlier when _you_ came out. You might not have realized it, but you were mumbling to yourself."

"God, Seth, nothing's wrong. Everything is peachy. I had a bad dream, so what?"

"We all know about your bad dreams." He muttered, crossing his boyish arms.

"I can handle bad dreams."

"Tell that to Brady."

"Jeez! Can no one keep a secret 'round here?" I flung my arms out and then over my head, burying my hands into my hair.

He patted my back, "Tell me? Please? What's going on?"

I sighed, "Nothing. There's absolutely nothing I cannot handle."

"That's a double negative."

I felt my lip curl up in a disgusted feature, "Do you retrain everything you learn in school?"

"Always." He thumped his chest proudly, "Stop changing the subject."

"How awful. I bet you get straights A's."

"There's nothing wrong with- hey, stop it!"

I pushed his shoulder and he stumbled to his feet, "Get going."

"Don't do something stupid."

"Naw, I won't."

Seth started to walk away, dragging his feet, "I guess, it wasn't meant to be after all. _Us_."

I pulled my knees into my chest as I took in his words, my heart finally evening out into a even thump, "We'll never know." I whispered and just like that, it felt lighter to have something off my shoulders. I had never known I was carrying around the confusion of my first love. I guess he had felt the same way. The truth had been spoken and we couldn't turn the bus around. We didn't _want _to turn the bus around, it would lead to mishaps and broken hearts- no one would be satisfied. Besides, I wasn't about to jump off the band wagon, not right after I had just joined it. There was a heart I wasn't going to hurt, and there was no force in this world that could make me.

He didn't respond, just took off at a steady jog.

"Hey, take Lee a few Twinkies. It'll butter her up." I said in my normal voice, knowing he could hear me.

He raised his hand to signal OK and then he was gone.

I sighed for the millionth time. I couldn't tell Seth either, that conversation just proved he knew something was up, and I didn't want to let anything else out of the bag. Besides, he was way to busy with Leann and he was bound to have a heart attack when he found out the truth. I just hoped he _wouldn't_ need me to explain it out for him. Talking about Leann having sex with another guy and the whole baby mechanism was not on my to-do-list. Why did I volunteer again?

"Thought I heard voices out here."

I turned just in time to see Paul slide up next to me and wrap a blanket around the both of us, even though we didn't need it. I kept my face directed away from him. My chin was quivering as just his look brought back the dream. How was I gonna get that out of my head? Did I need a distraction for every minutes of the day? No, I needed that leech dead.

"Did you get some sleep? Your eyes are still red." His hand was smoothly guiding my head to the side where he could get a better look at me.

"Not really." I answered tucking my chin.

"Me neither. I had this _awful _dream."

My ears perked. Paul never told me about his dreams. Well, that was because I never asked, but he was volunteering information, "About what?"

I heard him swallow loudly and clung tighter to me, "It was a forest during the night maybe. It was quiet, there weren't any signs of life. A complete dead zone. I couldn't see that well, but something was…was after you. I knew it was you, because, well, I just _knew_. It was a vampire. I tried to save you but I was caught, I couldn't help you. It was…"

"Hey." I whispered, trying to disguise the fright in my voice, "It wasn't real. We're both fine."

His body shook, disagreeing with me, "I'm going to step up patrols. It _felt_ real. Too real."

"Take someone with you. Jared or Quil. Don't go by yourself."

"I'll be fine. We do patrols by ourselves, you know this."

This time would be different. I wanted to smack him, knock some sense into him, and possibly hang him up by his pinky toe. "I'll go with you. We'll patrol together."

"Nope. You need to get on Sams good side by learning more of our history and listening to him. I heard Emily made another book just the other day."

"Now is the time you pick to make nice with Sam?" I asked appalled.

"You said it yourself last night. 'Picking on each other', remember?"

"No." I lied stubbornly.

He kissed my hair, taking my lie like a good little wolf, "Come on, it's five in the morning. I'm tired and you're going to spend the rest of sleep time with me."

"Ooh, that sounds kinda naughty."

"You bet it is." He replied.

We just laughed it off. Neither of us would make a move. We were both too scared that we would have a repeat of before. I didn't want to be left alone again.

That morning, there was nothing to compare to spending just a few hours with Paul, wrapped up with each other, lying there, breathing, being alive. I couldn't ask for anything more than just that. When I came to, like I knew, he was gone. He wasn't laying beside me, sprawled with his arms above his head, just an empty, cold spot. There was, however, a note saying he was at Sams and he would be back soon. There was no mention of patrolling, he probably would though. He'd make a quick a quick loop just for safeties sake. He always does.

I wasted no time throwing on a clean shirt and shorts then rushing out the door. It was midday, but so quiet. The few regulars who I could always see out and about were not there. They were part of the Tribal Council. I idly wondered if a verdict had been reached or if they were still in the voting process. I didn't know what time they'd meet, but I knew they would- no one missed a Tribal Meeting, you weren't _allowed_ to. Old Quil was good to his word and everyone who was anyone would be there, besides the wolf pack who had been banned from the premises like bad school kids that weren't allowed to get the tootsie pop because they talked during class.

The thought of the meeting didn't stop me from rushing to Sams. I could deal with the anger from him; I could deal with just about anything, except for Paul being hurt. That, I couldn't deal with. I didn't phase. I just ran. I ran because it felt good to stretch my muscles, to have the salty air blow through my hair to twist it and lift it up off my shoulders teasing my face. The steady beat of my legs pounded against the earth, reminded me that everything was intact, that I was going forward in one swift motion. Like every place in La push, the Uleys was close. There was no taking the short way through a cut off to the side. There was only one-way- if you didn't include running through the woods stark naked. It was all short, to short for my liking, but that might have been because I was a freak of nature and a mythical being. Yeah, that seemed about right.

I didn't pause running up the steps, just barged in through the door. Sound, chattering from my fellow pack members, even Brady and Embry were here. There wasn't a tense atmosphere as I thought there would be. There was no rivalry. I couldn't sense any hurt feelings, any disregard to anyone, there was nothing. Only family. Family who cared about each, who couldn't stay away from one another even if they tried. It didn't matter what came and shook their grounds. Nothing could tear that family apart. Not even Evelyn, the self-appointed mischief-maker of the pack, who thought her opinions and ideals were just so much better than anyone elses. I didn't wanna admit that I was wrong, I _wasn't_ wrong. This kind of war was never right, but I wasn't going to be the one to bring it up.

My eyes scanned the crowd of people. Jared, Quil, Collin, Brady, Jacob, Embry, Sam, but no Leah, Seth _or_ Paul. A few of them were talking in murmurs. I couldn't pick up on what they were saying, it seemed to fast, and incoherent. I'm sure I didn't want to know.

"Eves!" Bounded Brady to the space beside me.

"Where's Paul?" I found myself asking automatically.

"He took a shift."

"By himself?" I pressed.

"No, no. Seth went with him." Bradys' arm slung itself over my shoulder, and I melted under those few words. Paul wasn't by himself. That was _great _news.

I was suddenly aware of the watchful eyes in the room and the unbearable pressure. It was just my imagination, but I wasn't willing to bet my last dollar on it.

"I'll just be leaving." I mumbled, and my feet hurried to get away, but not before a voice spoke.

"We are not going to war, Evelyn." Sam didn't sound mad. How could he not be? I practically embarrassed him last night while embarrassing myself.

My thoughts stopped, "Huh?" I asked stupefied.

"Everything up until this point will be irrelevant. We're giving the Cullens another chance."

I blinked a few times, and my forehead crunched downward. For some reason, I wasn't as elated as I should have been. It felt as if the bullhorn had been sounded and the pack was waiting for any little screw up from them. At least the wolves were not blocking Alices' visions anymore, poor leeches, I can only imagine what they were thinking.

I cleared my throat and twiddled my fingers, "So, is there another catch?"

Sam didn't smile, "Not this time."

"I'm sorry." I blurted unthinking.

He raised his brow, but other than that didn't say anything.

"It's another miracle." Brady said astonished.

"Miracles are beginning to be a dime a dozen with our Evie." Embry laughed good-naturedly.

"Shut up." I jabbed Brady in the side and he made an 'oof' sound.

"Suppose it's nothing new. We're used to it by now." Jacob grinned for the first time in awhile. I understood that was his way of saying, "you screw up all the time, but its okay." Jacob was back as my friend? Not that we had been friends to begin with, but this was a change from the glares. I would take it happily.

"You could make it up to us." Hinted Jared, "Emily's not here and we're hungry."

"And I've been craving some cheesy rice." Brady pushed me toward the fridge.

"I can't just use Emilys' kitchen, it feels weird. Plus, I'd have to have permission and then the food that I would be using is-"

"Use what you need." Sam interrupted.

"Thanks." I said sincerely. Last night had done damage that was irreparable, but if right now was any type of sign then we'd be back to normal in a few weeks at the most a year. My insides were telling me it would be the latter.

After that, I had two helpers, Brady and Collin- apparently, Collin liked my rice too, but I hadn't quite forgiven for that comment about having a side deal with the Cullens. Jeez, I hadn't even met the Cullens, and I truly hoped I never would. Wouldn't that be a merry meeting? "Hi Edward, I know all about you and your family and it may seem stalkerish, but I somehow stumbled into your mythical world, and now I want your autograph. OK? Thanks." It probably wouldn't go like that. I would end up phasing and ruining all chances of conversation.

We, as in I, made four large casserole dishes worth of cheesy rice, two of which Brady claimed as his own, and because I wanted something easy I fixed an entire countries worth of spaghetti, garlic bread, and for some reason, wieners. It was different with me cooking. As I put the food on plates, the wolves devoured it. Emily didn't put up with moochers, not that I blamed her. The vultures were worse today than I had ever seen them. I wondered if Emily had fixed them breakfast. Probably not.

When I ate, it seemed as if I hadn't eaten in years. The food really hit the spot. It hit it for the rest of them too. Some of the wolves were on chairs, patting their full stomachs and groaning. Others were lying on the floor, heads titled back and sleeping it off- like bears hibernating in winter, without the nasty butt plug. Either way, everyone seemed happy and content. I couldn't help but smile softly at the scene in front of me. I really loved this place.

I had just finished drying the last of the dishes when the front door opened, bringing the night air. Emily came bouncing in with a pleased expression, and then when she saw me it tripled by another hundred.

"Evie!" She cried and threw her arms around my neck, "You did it!"

"Yeah, I heard." I pulled back just a tad.

"Oh, don't you listen to those boys. They're just upset. They'll get over it soon enough. A woman should put them in their place every now and then." She nodded in approval to girl power. Then she sniffed the air and made a disapproving cluck, "Did you fix those boys food? You should have let them starve."

"I know, but it was hard to put up a fight." I laughed at her expression. "Did you cook breakfast?"

She smiled mischievously, "Nope."

"Thought so."

"Well I've got two quarts of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer with our names on them. Bought them last night as a celebration gift."

Even though I'd just eaten, my stomach gurgled in appreciation, but it wasn't the thought of eating ice cream that made me look at her other words, "But how did you know? I mean, Old Quil was pretty set on a war, and everyone else too."

She leaned in more, "Once we got Billy in on it, it was all up hill from there. Everyone there except for Mr. Ateara was against it. He had to go with the majority. No one wanted to wake up the next day and realize they were missing their other half, or their son, grandson, and so on. It was an easy vote when the wolves weren't there." Emily smiled her twisted smile and then exhaled a big gust and looked longingly toward the living room.

"Sam talking to you?"

Her smile turned upside down and her lips pouted just a smidge, "No. He'll give me kisses and hugs, but won't talk. I think he's sad."

"He's absolutely ridiculous if he's not talking to you over something so silly. You should give him a dose of his medicine one day."

Emily nodded seriously, "I should, shouldn't I?"

It was just a few heartbeats after she said that when Sam appeared looking distraught. Putty. Completely nasty, gooey putty in Emilys' hands. It was kind of disgusting.

"Baby. I'm sorry. Don't ignore me. Please?" He gently pulled her away from me and held her in his arms, kissing his way down her scars.

I knew then I needed to leave. I couldn't watch someone else become all-sweet and cuddly with their loved one- especially not Emily and Sam, the epitome of all things imprint and otherworldly.

As I tiptoed away I heard Emily giggle, "Going so soon?"

"Sure, I mean, Pauls probably already home and waiting on me. I'll be back soon and we'll eat ice cream together, promise." I replied as fast as I could.

I saw her hand wave to me as I zipped out the Uley door and breathed a sigh of relief. That could have turned into a major make out fest, and Sam wouldn't have cared about onlookers.

"So gross." I moaned to myself as I walked down the little road swinging my arms. I couldn't believe I actually felt _happy _after the last few days I had had. Happiness had seemed too forlorn; it didn't look that way now. Paul would be happy since I was in such a good mood. Would he let us go on our date? We could go far away and get away for a little while. Just the two of us. I missed my dad. Maybe we could take a road trip and go camping along the way. Did anyone actually do that? Well, Paul and I would be the first. Definitely.

When I actually focused on the sounds around me, I realized I heard no birds, or wood animals scurrying. There was no wind singing its songs, the sounds of the ocean were nonexistent as well. It seemed La Push was in a bubble of silence.

And then I heard it. A painful howl of agony rippled in the air and cut into my oxygen supply.

It was the sign of distress and I acted instantaneously.

The only words I got out before I phased were, "Seth. _Paul_."

* * *

Uh-oh. What's up now? Can you guess? Some of you have already threatened for me to kill a certain character off. Will I? *Grins*  
All I can say is, "Careful, sometimes wishful thinking backfires."  
Bet that rouses some of you. =]

Working on a Leann POV. It should be finished soon. It occurs right after the beginning of this chapter.

2 chapters left- and then a "afterwords."


	34. The Death of A Wolf

Today is the 1 year anniversary of "Whispers of Promise."  
Thank you reviewers, silent readers, and everyone else who has stayed with me this past year. It's sad to know WoP is almost over.  
Anywho, I put off this tiny chapter saving it for today. ;]

* * *

_And then I heard it. A painful howl of agony rippled in the air and cut into my oxygen supply. _

_It was the sign of distress and I acted instantaneously. _

_The only words I got out before I phased were, "Seth. _Paul_."_

--

The phase was easy and quick, and when my thoughts followed the direction of Seth and Pauls, I knew they were fighting a vampire. _The_ vampire. The rest was chaotic and disorganized. They had been ambushed while not paying attention, talking. Seth was hurt -a broken leg- Paul was…I couldn't make out the thoughts- they weren't focused on me or the pain, just killing the leech in front of them.

My legs carried me forward; faster than I had ever ran. The wind seemed to aid me and carry me forward. I was pushing my body to the limit; it knew I had to get there before anything bad happened.

Was this how the great Disney Princess's had felt? Cinderella, rushing to get home before midnight, so her Prince wouldn't see she was just a maid. Pocahontas, trying to save the man she loved from death, and save her tribe from the pale faces. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel, they all had something they were fighting for. The only problem was that the Fairy Tale always came true. They always saved the day. The ending was always sealed with a kiss. Life wasn't a Disney movie.

I jumped nimbly over fallen trees, and mauled over small bushes as if they were nothing more than wildflowers. The fight was near the cliffs, deep in the woods away from civilization, and I knew I only had mere seconds before I was there. Nothing could have prepared me for what I knew was waiting.

When I broke into the small clearing, Seth's presence faded, and I recognized his form lying limply at the base of the rocky cliffs. He wasn't dead, I asserted quickly, just knocked out. Paul was off at the base as well, guarding Seth, that was, until he saw me.

"_Evelyn?"_ Paul growled angrily in my head, _"Get away! Now!"_

I wasn't listening to him, but watching the gleeful expression on the leech, and the way he stood on his toes, like a ballerina ready to dance. My muzzle twisted up into a disgusted snarl.

"Oh, darling! _There_ you are. Didn't think you'd arrive so soon." He laughed, "Your boyfriend was trying to kill me. Too bad, I'm scratch free."

"_You just wait until I get a mouth full of you."_ I barked.

The leech just grinned, and I was prepared when he darted my way, the intention of death clear in his eyes. I dodged his attack with splendid ease, his right arm swung back to nick my shoulder and face. There was little to no pain, it would heal soon anyway.

I saw Paul's confliction before I read his thoughts. If he left Seth, he would be open for attack, if he stayed, I'd have no help.

"_It's okay. Take care of Seth." _Leah would kill us both if something happened to him.

"_Evie_, dear. I'm so sick of this game. You just don't play well with others." His black hair curled around his eyes and his face turned dramatic, "Let's end this."

Like a flash of lightning, I couldn't react as his diamond hands dug themselves into my stomach, slicing the skin open. Something warm splashed down my coat, blood. The scream of agony that pierced the air wasn't just my own, but Pauls too.

In the same second, Paul leapt up, taking a direct launch the leech's shoulder and ripping it slightly. He didn't let go, he just kept shaking his head in many directions, trying to get the vampire off of me. The hand of the vampire twisted my insides, and then with force, shot me backwards.

I landed with a thud against a nearby spruce, causing it topple backwards. Blood was oozing out of my middle, a nasty wound running from one side to the other with jagged edges, exposing the organs from within. I was scared my insides would fall out, it was a high possibility that that might happen. Could I even get up without my insides doing just that? I didn't want to, it hurt too much. Much more than any other pain I had ever experienced. It wasn't centered to one spot, as it should have been, but it washed as a wave would do through my body, back and forth, back and forth. A constant radiating pain. It was all I could do but grit my teeth against the screams that were forming in my throat. Was this death for me?

Suddenly several other wolves filled my head.

"_We're coming."_ Many of them thought urgently, seeing the situation through our eyes.

My attention shifted to Paul as the vampire ran straight into the cliffs, knocking Paul off and into an arousing Seth.

"I'm not finished with you, darling." The leech said, zooming to my side, and reaching down to mangle my leg, the right one tried to kick and scratch, but his hard leg came crashing down on my ribs like lead, removing all the breath I had, and disabling me from fighting back. "You'll die tonight too." He said swiftly as the pack of wolves' slingshot themselves from the woods, sending him running. The howl of wolves rang out, in pursuit. I felt a little safer.

My body painfully phased back into human form, bones snapping and failing to realign. It was something I wish I hadn't done. The broken ribs crushed into my chest and lungs, making it difficult to breathe. I could taste the blood in my mouth and it trickled down my chin faster than it should have. It was impossible for me to move, hell, I didn't even want to move or breathe. My limbs were heavy and tingly. It didn't distract me from the pain. I coughed violently sending sprays of blood coating the nearby grass.

Something warm touched my hip, and then an old shirt was laid over my lower half.

"Hey, you're fine." Paul said, his arm looked dislocated, but other than that, he was fine. His hand ran the length of my cheek and down my neck. I saw his face was stretched with worry, but it was so much more than that, he was terrified. His chocolate eyes were swimming, the tears not quite spilling over, but threatening, at any moment to do just that.

"Bullshit." I croaked, smothering a cry of pain talking made me feel.

"Don't talk. Save your energy."

I wanted to laugh at such a cheesy line. One that I had heard many a time in Hollywood movies. Another round of the blood coughing fit hit me, and I knew then I was bleeding internally, as well and externally.

His eyes rushed down to the wound on my stomach and the traveled to my crushed ribs, "What I wouldn't give to trade places with you."

Spots filled my vision and my heart started to pick up, feeling as though it was about to burst, "I'm glad. I…love…you, Paul. With," I stopped, taking in short sprints of breath, "all my heart. Forever."

"Stop talking like that." He shouted with distressed anger and then with determination, his hands went to the laceration on my stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. The force he was applying to my wound didn't seem to help, it made it hurt worse.

There was too much pressure on my heart. I was dieing. At least I was dieing in the place of Paul, in the place of Seth, and who knows whom else. I was sure I heard another voice, but it was all gurgled, as if I was drowning and a filter had been placed over my ears.

"Sorry." I mumbled, but the words sounded foreign, speaking a different language than the one I was actually thinking. The dimming of my vision and the filter in my ears prevented me from seeing or hearing what was happening to Paul. My eyes closed and Pauls face appeared. He wore a grin, showing his white teeth, and how beautiful he was when he showed his kind side. He didn't move, his smile never wavered. I stared, mesmerized.

Everything slowed down. My heart gave its final few thumps, slow and steady, the beat of a distant drum.

_"Stay with me."_

It was the last beautiful sound I heard before darkness followed and silenced me for forever.

* * *

**Final chapter is next  
**This was supposed to be apart of the last chapter, but it felt to soon and sudden for the other one. Thus, this mini chappie was created.


	35. Rebirth

I loved the, "OMG! EVIE, SHE CAN'T DIE~!" reviews. Love them to pieces.

READ ON TO SEE THE FINALE!  
**(_After _*Stresses _AFTER_* reading, go vote in my poll. It's extremely important about the future of this story!)**

* * *

_Everything slowed down. My heart gave its final few thumps, slow and steady, the beat of a distant drum._

"Stay with me."

_It was the last beautiful sound I heard before darkness followed and silenced me for forever._

--

There wasn't any pain- wherever I was. It was nonexistent. No smell, no color. A black and white box stretched before me, never ending. Just walls upon walls of white with no people, only me. I had been told that the end was unexplainable and that it was often felt with great emotion. No one knew for sure what actually happened. Was there a Heaven? Was I there? Was I in Hell for the atrocities I had committed? Did werewolves – Where had such a thought come from? - go to Heaven? I wasn't sure. I had also been told life had a way of rewinding itself, letting you see everything you loved before you died- the beginning of the end. This was so much different. A memory and yet not one, all at the same time.

--

_The man I love – loved? - so deeply is back again. Stuck reading our history while he's away is no fun. None at all. I can't help but smile as I see his handsome face. My opinion of him has changed so much! Arguing with him is much more fun now. He never knows quite what to say back to me- he doesn't know that limits are for pansies. He is much too concerned with keeping the peace! Ha. Peace means a weird vibe. Arguing means seeing his cheeks redden and laughing at him. I love laughing at him, it made loving him so easy and so much more potent. _

"_You're back late." I tap my invisible watch with fake impatience. I try not to let my smile slip through. I can feel the losing battle._

"_Have you studied?" He retorts. His large arms cross themselves, his face is haggard. Sam is pushing him hard. It upsets me- more than his haunting eyes which are sunken and bagged with black. _

"_Till my brain practically fried. Come on! I study all day long. What do I learn? Nothing really." I huff. I notice irritation is my key element, and for some reason it is seeping through more than I like. Sam is to blame, anything that brings sam into the conversation is to blame, "Tell Sam to lay off and let you sleep." _

_He gave me _that_ look. The one that tells me he does not mind patrolling, "Doubtful."_

"_Mean-butt"_

_He hesitates, as I knew he would, and then answers, "I'm calling it a night." _

_Suddenly, I realize he does not want to play with me, "But it's the afternoon."_

"_Evelyn. . . " _

"_Fine! Let me curl up with you?" I grin, hoping that he will notice I was only playing with him earlier. _

_He didn't say anything. His foot steps are light, but his body is much too tired. As I watch him collapse onto the bed, I follow his lead, and snuggle into him. We match, him and I. Almost too perfectly. The contours and the lines that shape and slant with our bodies- how is it that we are together? How is it that when his arms drape over me we complete an intricate puzzle? Or when my face leans into the crook of his neck to drop kisses on the skin there it seems utterly right?_

_"I truly care about you, did you know that?" I ask, but my question is met with snores.  
_

_I sigh. I do not need to know the answer or if I'm receiving too much in life. Only that it is right and will be forever right- until the end of time, until the stars burn away, until the Earth dies, and until the sun explodes._

_With him, like this, my time is erased. I can not ask for anything more than that._

_--  
_

Were these my memories? They didn't feel like it, had they perhaps gotten mixed-up with another person? No, my name _was_ Evelyn, I was sure. Was Heaven cruel as to take away my previous life? Strip it down until I didn't know lover from foe? Who was this man I loved with such a passion that it could carve its way through iron and forge a completely new path? I struggled for the answer. The more I struggled, the bigger the blank became, the thicker the secrets twisted and ran from me. Could this really be a place of happiness?

Heaven. Did I want to be here? Of course I did. Did I want this loneliness? The bitter edge to all my thoughts and the taste of nothing in my grasp? No. If this was Heaven, I didn't want to be here, there was no point. My Heaven was not complete without _him_. Whoever he was, he was the key to my happiness- born to make me and only me happy, to be with me through trying times- even death. _This_. _This _wasn't what I wanted, but who was I to make that call?

Death could mean a number of things. A limbo. A land full of happiness and never-ending bliss. Or simply, a void with a never-ending wonder where you were left to ponder about the life you had before, and bask yourself with the emotions you could only have fully human? Was I to look for an exit sign? Would the stairway to Heaven or Hell appear?

Then, giving no warning or altercation, I was pulled into what would be my last memory of sorts.

--

_The night feels gloomy or is it early morning? I do not know. Smoke has blanketed the air, providing a fake fog. There is the swishing of breath, in and out, but much to fast- almost a panicked breath. The faint sob of someone. A whimper of wolves in the background, and an eerie sensation to it all. Almost as if someone is dying. Things focus just after that thought, and with that, I realize I am the one dying, no _she_ is dying. It's almost as if I never were in that body to begin with. I wasn't connected to her anymore, my soul has left her. An empty vessel is all that is left.  
_

_Her body is bare, a shirt is thrown haphazardly over her lower privates, her chest is exposed, but hands are there. Someone is pumping her heart, and another is breathing into the girls' mouth every so often. CPR, possibly? The hands of the one trying to restart her dead heart are shaking ferociously. He is gentle, though, I can see that. They are trying to save her. In this ethereal body I wear, the one that embodies death, I cannot cry. I only feel the sadness and the need to cry. Emotions are irrelevant here.  
_

_The faces of the ones who are trying to rescue her are blurs. "It is a vain attempt. __You're wasting your time!__" I want to scream at the men hovering over her body. The girl is dead. There is nothing left for her or the ones around her. They do not stop trying to revive her. The man does not stop pumping her heart. The scene is one from a tragedy, but there is no waking up from the dead happening here. Two lovers will not follow each other to their grave. There is no happiness, it is all clouded with death and disaster._

_"She's not coming back is she?" I hear someone ask in a tiny voice, covered and masked trying not to show sadness. _

_"Shoulda been here." Another muttered._

_"This is not real. She was just making us food earlier! Not real. No, not real. This can't be happening."_

_"Of course, she'd try to play the hero, of course."_

_My attention shifts back and forth between the two talking. They just just stare at her body, unseeing, not quite sure of what they _are _seeing, just staring.__ I stare too, at the soulless body. Such a delicate looking body it is. Even from here I can tell it was once pretty, now her left leg is twisted, and her stomach is sliced open. The tan from her skin has faded to a pasty white, mingled with red. So much blood. The blood is running from her middle, but another large man steps in. He's putting pressure on the wound. The face of a girl I can't remember is bruised and cut. It too has blood seeping from its lacerations matting into her short hair and dripping from her mouth._

_It's horrible. Too horrible. Should I feel sorry for myself? Should I feel sorry for the girl who can no longer wear that body? Or should I grieve for the man trying his hardest to make her heart beat once more? My nonexistent heart aches- a dull hallow ache that rips and festers into a more prominent wound than the ones I am seeing below._

_I wish that I could remember what it feels like to be in that move around, to dance, to have the emotion of love, but I can remember nothing. Only the words of the actions. I can't recall the feeling of the ocean or the way chocolate tasted, it is all lost. _

_For forever. _

_I still wish I could remember. There is tingle, a shock throughout my soul, and like a vacuum coming alive I am sucked downwards, until my eyes are blind. . . _

_--  
_

It felt final. This death. It broke me, taking the pieces and losing itself in the vastness that was nothing. A discarded paper box that was to be left out in the rain, I hated this feeling. It was selfish to wish my mom would not be hurt, I wished for her to be free of pain, to not cry, and to smile- just for me. I wished for my dad to be with mom as she choked on the tears that I knew she would. I also wished that I could be there with _him –_the man who was trying to save me- because even now, in this weird space, I could feel the red string of fate, binding us together. Almost a pull, it was otherworldly. It had a different feeling than that of around me. A permanent hold.

The faces of the ones I loved reeled around me –-I did not know most of their names-- almost as an old-time movie would.

I knew it then.  
My time was up.

The final death was here.

* * *

Death was excruciating. I imagine it was much the opposite birth, coming out into the world full of unknown creatures, just to find out that you are one of them. From there, with one simple look, you loved them adoringly. The only similarities were who would you meet when you came out into the unknown beyond? Would there be love? Could you love? I didn't want to. Love left me back in my body- where it would stay attached to the _man_ my heart loves. My soul would remember it, that's all I needed.

This death was weird. Was all death the same way? Did it linger? Were there different types? There was no one to ask, I was alone.

At some point, it occurred to me that something must have gone wrong. Between my memories having a screen placed over them and the warm pressure in my hand it seemed. . . pressure? I glanced down, just a hand, nothing more. I wiggled it for extra affect, stretching, but nothing happened. Then what was this tingly sensation that caused my invisible heart to hurt, and my soul to recognize this searing warmth- to yearn for it? It felt good, compared to the cold; a security blanket that I could wrap myself in. I felt comforted.

I wanted this feeling, whatever it was. It stirred me, my mind provided the word after a sluggish second, the emotion was love. I wanted to know where it would lead me. I tried once more, prodding the outer shell of the blank, testing it. It hurt to think about what I missing. It was a piercing pain, one that I should not have had. I concentrated. Focusing just on the mans face and his deep eyes. I wanted to know this secret.

There were flickers. Images. A forest at night. A wolf. Those zoomed past quickly and I was led to a small cafe. Two people were dancing inside, but it skipped forward and I was watching it rain in a small field while the lovers kissed passionately. My lips tingled with an indefinite feeling and my limbs ached for the man. The pictures were overwhelming. Piles and piles of memories shown themselves, and like a dam, the blank gushed open and with a rush came the sound, and my secret thoughts.

At first, I couldn't make out anything. Going from complete silence to overwhelming sensation was numbing, but only for a moment. There was a gentle beeping coming from…I'm not sure, there was also soft snoring. It was a beacon, and it controlled the calm that washed through me. I would know this sound from anywhere in the world. This was the man I loved- that not even death could penetrate, this was my Paul. My eyes were not open, but the warmth in my hand was more than enough to ensure that I was indeed, alive, and as my thoughts spun, I tried to make sense of why.

I had been given a second chance at life- two lives, two worlds, and two loves. It was so much more than what a normal person would go through, something that a person should never go through. A person who lived in two worlds at one time could not expect to die once, but twice, and I was sure I had died- I didn't hallucinate the whole thing, it was too real. A person could not expect to love once, but twice. My life had been stretched between two worlds, the wolf Evie and the human Evie. They could not intertwine with one another, coexisting wasn't an option- one had to die for the other to be fully born.

I was still here, with Paul, that's all that mattered. Love could indeed conquer anything, no matter how screwed up it might possibly be.

This was _my _world now, with _my _love, and _my _last life.

* * *

**A/N:**  
This is basically the ending.  
An _**"Afterwards"**_ chapter is next. Many of you would skin me alive if I left it like this. I haven't written the whole chapter though. I've been extremely busy.

**The actual ending** to WoP was much 'sadder' (at least, it would have been for 97% of you).

Evie was going to die _no matter what_- I had that decided since I first created the story. **(Which is totally weird. Who kills off their main character? *raises hand* I DO, I DO!!) **_So, for clarification purposes: Evelyn DID die._

**Everything beyond this point is purely a different ending- the one that was SUPPOSED to happen before I changed it to the ending above.  
**

Instead of Evelyn waking up in La Push, her life restarts in Alabama, everything has been merely a dream-like-sequence (She was there, and at the same time she wasn't), but does she go to La Push? Do things play out like her dream? Partially. She meets a _possibly _human Seth (since she died in a fictional world- her real world self lives on). I never knew if she would end up with Paul if this ending happened, because I truly believe that he would be with Rachel if this happened. *coughs and stabs her* Besides, in the "real world" Evie and Paul are not meant to be. Would that keep them apart? I'm not sure. The whole 'fictional' and 'real' world universes is confusing. *confuses everyone with her thinking*

A twisted ending, right? I think I might want to write it to satisfy my own _sick _curiosity. Haha.

**If anyone has questions, feel free to submit them, and if I have enough, I'll make a _LiveJournal _entry just for questions (don't want to make a chappie just for that.).**


	36. Farewell: An Epilogue

**To clarify things even more for those of y'all who thought Evie was staying dead: **Evie DID die, but she was given a second chance at life. Evie IS with Paul- nothing changed. I'll give y'all a more in-depth answer in the Q&A chappie.  
So, no more freakin' out. Alrighty?

**Lexi: **Your email was cut out of your review, but my answer is no, I do not give you permission. I'm already doing something of that length in one-shots/alternate endings, I would appreciate if you did not use my characters or plot for a future story (or stories) of yours. Thanks.

The chapter was late because I wanted to avoid the inevitable. That's just not possible and my heart hurts now…Onto the last chapter.

* * *

Life in La Push continued.

Even after waking up, receiving a couple thousand get well wishes, delicious homemade cookies by Emily, a visit from both of my parents, and even a half hug from Sam, I still wasn't allowed to do anything by myself. When I walked from one end of the house to the other, Paul was with me. When I needed to use the bathroom, Paul wouldn't leave; in the beginning, I had needed his help anyway, but afterward it was just plain embarrassing. I was officially a bigger version of Claire, without the training pants.

What fascinated me was that I was still alive. Everyone had made guilty looks with one another as I asked what had happened. _Apparently_, Dr. Fang, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward had come to see what the deal with us was. They weren't taking anything lightly since their future had disappeared completely. The rest of their family had held back, while Dr. Fang and Sam made a truce. Thus, my injuries were treated via Dr. Carlisle Cullen, vampire doctor, enemy of werewolves, and Twilight character.

Of course, I wasn't awake for any of that, thank God. I was basically a guinea pig for Dr. Fang to open up and put back together. Bet he got a kick out of my insides. According to Paul, he had been right beside me the three hours it had taken for all my bones to be put back together. There had been a lot of pieces, and I was defined as a miracle.

That, I called it, was not a miracle, but a seriously skilled doctor. Especially since it took him a long time to put me back together. He should have used his super speed. What was a vampire good for without it? I was sad I hadn't been able to meet him, but the pack said it was for the best. I wouldn't be able to control myself and I would phase, hurting myself even more than I already was. Blah. Blah. It made me feel good to know I was actually right about the whole phasing in front of the Cullens concept.

I wasn't by myself though. No, I had Brady with me part of the time. He had been hurt as well. Embry told me Brady kinda went crazy after the vampire attacked me. It seems that Brady took a full attack just to let the others get the leech. At least he was proud of himself. Throwing yourself in front of a killer seemed like a stupid idea now, and I told him so. He would just laugh my comments off and pat my head.

I never told anyone about my out-of-body experience. At some point, I knew they'd hear it in my thoughts, it was something I pondered often, and when they heard, I'd be ready for the questions. Until then, I'd keep to myself. It wasn't like I _wanted_ to tell everyone that I had died and what I felt was completely unreal. I'd rather gouge out my eyeballs. When I was asked, I always said I couldn't remember anything. It was better than Paul worrying and stressing over something he couldn't fix. At times, just thinking, I was afraid I'd lose myself. That, like before, my soul would drift away and this time, I wouldn't come back.

The truth wouldn't be spoken from my lips so easily.

And here we were today, a month later, and exactly August 5, my eighteenth birthday. I was fully healed, as I had been for weeks now, thanks to my mutant gremlin powers- I still had weird side affects, however. It was like at times my body was reliving the pain, reminding me of how bad I had been- it wouldn't let me forget and my body would stove up. A phantom pain. Most of the friends I had made still treated me as one of the wounded though, that was the worst part of it all. When I reached up to grab cups, someone would always beat me to it. When I carried in groceries, someone would always take them from me. The only time I felt as if I had freedom was when I drove my Jeep to and from Emily's house, or to the beach.

It seems they'd forgotten I was a werewolf. How anyone could possibly forget that, I'll never know.

The party was at our house. Pauls and mine. Emily, Kim, Leah, and I were in the kitchen, baking. The guys, including Leann and little Claire, were in the living room, hanging streamers and watching a made for TV movies. Paul had his chair angled toward the kitchen, "in case of an emergency" he said. More like, "in case Evie has a case of delirium and I need to stab her with one of those EpiPens." The sad fact was that he was entirely serious about saving me from paper towels and oven mitts.

Emily set another cake in the oven and I pressed down the last timer, fanning myself slightly with my free hands. All of the windows were up, but it didn't stop the house from feeling slightly like a furnace- it probably felt worse for the humans. No one complained of the undesired temperature.

"I'm pooped." Kim said, taking a seat beside me. Sweat was beading on her forehead, I wanted ask her why she sitting beside the heater instead of away from it, but I didn't.

"You got that right." Leah gulped down a glass of water and went for seconds.

Emily gave me the once over, "Evie, you don't look like your having a good time."

I glanced back at Paul, sitting in his chair, pretending to ignore me. I shook my head, "Not with my own personal watch dog." I muttered.

Leah laughed, "You're not exaggerating either."

"He's just worried." Kim consoled.

"Smothering someone to death is classified as worrying now?" Leah asked sarcastically.

Death was a touchy topic for me now, and I flinched at the mere mention of the word. No one noticed.

"He'll lighten up soon enough. Sam did." Leah didn't react to Emilys words, but her eyes went emotionless.

"Right." I replied, not convinced.

"It's your birthday. Be happy. Forget your worries!" Kim gushed, touching my arm.

"_Right_." I said again, dragging it out, "That'll be the day."

"Nightmares?" Emily asked concerned.

"None. I get weird flashes though. Nothing serious." I shrugged. Those weird flashes were of _that_ night. Not exactly nightmares, but not exactly the pink bunnies and fluffy kittens someone usually dreamt about.

She nodded, settling against the counter.

Leah huffed and I heard her elbow hit the wall, "Can you believe _I'm_ getting pissed off because _you're_ not having a _grand ole time_? Don't _you_ see even the tiniest bit of a problem with that?"

"I'll fake my enjoyment just for you." I gave her a huge grin that stretched from one side to the other. It hurt my cheeks. "Good enough?"

"Your sarcasm is nauseating."

"As if your snootiness isn't."

"Snootiness? You're losing your touch."

"Yeah, yeah. So, I've heard." I grumbled, moving my big bag of Cheetos to pick at a candy bar. The past month I had taken a liking to chocolate. I ate it everyday for no reason at all.

"Evie?" called Kim, waving her hand in front of my face, "Would you open my present now? I don't want a big audience." She blushed.

I held in the groan that was threatening to explode. I liked presents. Hell, I loved them. But today presents felt like the epitome of evil. What would they get me? A safety collar? Pepper spray? A whole fleet of warships? It all seemed plausible.

"It's nothing big. Just something Jared and I thought you should have."

I tentatively took the rectangular present. It was just pink, no stripes or dots, no bows or other silly decorations. It was rather small too.

"Go on." She urged me, her eyes going big and round with excitement.

The top came off easily and nestled within it was a phone the color of cherry blossoms. The color of the phone was shocking; no one bought me pink things- the pink box should have tipped me off. On a closer inspection, I noticed that the phone looked _durable_. Not the cheap plastic phones with the squishy buttons, but a metal phone that was cool against my skin. It felt hard, but I wasn't going to test my luck. The phone, although small, was candy bar style. Where was the flip to it? Phones had a flip or a swivel. This was new.

"Jared told me your other one broke. A girl cannot be without a phone." Her head turned up and it seemed as though she was saluting the air.

"Uh, thanks. It's cute." I offered, turning it in my palm. This was just a device to make sure they could get in touch with me at _all_ times. I guess this year's present theme was, 'Let's make sure Evelyn is not allowed to do anything by herself. Code word: freedom from danger.'

"It's more than cute!" She laughed and then turned serious, "It was chosen because it passed the test. It didn't break when dropped and Jared jammed his fingers on it a few times to make sure it wouldn't dent. Oh, this was on a test phone, of course."

I nodded my head, looking at the contraption once again, "Why pink?" I found myself asking.

"Well…" She dawdled, "I got a look in your closet and I saw that some of your old clothes were pink. It was the color you had the most of, so I thought a pink phone would do well." She finished quickly, "You don't like it?"

"No, no! It's great. Really!" I exclaimed, "It's just, it looks expensive, and…"

"Don't worry. We've taken care of all the technical stuff."

I set the phone down and folded my hands, "Thanks Kim, it's really nice."

My sincerity wasn't conveyed, "I knew it! I should have gotten the other one!" With that, Kim stomped off, her hands flying wildly over her head, toward the living room. No doubt going to bug Jared. Kim had the worst cases of buyers' remorse, but it was a charm of hers, in a way.

"Poor Jared." Leah sniffed, and then effectively changed the subject, "Since I won't be calling you on your _Barbie_ phone, when are you phasing? It's been a month. Don't tell me you're quitting already."

"Is the oh-so-sensitive Leah worried about me? I would actually feel honored if it weren't for the fact you only want me in your head to get the others out."

"Well aren't you a sour sport." Her eyes rolled slightly and her lips turned into a hard scowl, "You can't avoid becoming a beast for long."

"Avoid?" I echoed, raising my brow, "As much as I like being a furry animal, I like being human a tad bit more."

"You _are_ quitting." She surmised.

I twiddled my thumbs. "Yeah," I sighed, hating how this was brought up, "I _think_ I am. It's been a month already…"

There was a short silence and then Leah spoke in a lowered voice, "You _think_ you want to quit, and it hasn't even been two months since you became wolf. You can't take your genetics and flip them on and off. It doesn't work that way." Another pause, "Don't do this just to keep secrets from us." I noticed her eyes were angry, maybe at the thought of not trusting her enough to tell her what I was thinking? I hated that Leah actually made sense.

"Evelyn! Baby doll, where are you?"

That shout was a heavenly thing. My mom was amazing at perfect timing.

"Sorry, we'll talk later." I was up at out of my seat –grabbing my new _Barbie_ phone, of course- before Leah had time to let out a string of angry curse words, but I heard the words trailing after me, promising me that I hadn't heard the last of Leah Clearwater.

I skipped out the front door where my mom was juggling a few bags of groceries.

"Gosh, mom, trying out for a weight lifting competition later?"

"Hush up. Just go and help that old man before he has a heart attack."

My mouth twisted slightly, as I took in the two Jeeps that were side by side, both piled full of groceries. I let out a groan.

"Bug, I heard that." Dad cleared his throat and stuck a big box my way, "You're no cripple. Get your butt to work."

I grinned wryly, my mood lifting significantly, "Sure, _old man_. I'll take that box before you break a hip."

He just chuckled and shooed me away with a sly grin. I didn't get three steps when Paul came into my line of vision, his hands flailing for the box. An utter watchdog.

"I've got that."

I turned to the side, trying to avoid his hands which instead landed on my hips, "_My_ box. Not yours." I said protectively, throwing him a dirty look, and then went on my way.

His hands never left.

To an onlooker, the pose would have looked like two lovers embracing, but to my fellow pack members and friends, it was the sign of trouble. My steps were quick and my body was entirely too stiff as I dumped the box, filled to the rim with chili and oil sausage, onto the counter. I was irritated to the core.

Paul waited a moment before stepping away, "I'll get the rest of the groceries. I don't want you to strain yourself." Then he mumbled something about I wasn't strong enough.

My jaw clenched and I clamored for my snack bag, grabbing a handful of what my fingers came into contact with, "You want strain?" I asked, throwing a few orange sticks known as Cheetos at him, "You want strength?" I plunked a few more his way, following him out the door. I could hear Embry snickering at me, "I'm strong enough to rip off a tree limb, to knock over a tree! Do you want to me to rip every tree in America to shreds? I'll be happy to if it'll prove I'm entirely fine!" I didn't quit throwing the cheesy snack his way. They hit him with tiny slaps against his bronzed skin, leaving specks of cheese coating his shirtless back and head.

"Bug. Quit that. You're wasting perfectly good food."

I didn't listen to my dad, but I did pick up the fact he didn't mind me being mean to Paul- my hand wouldn't stop chunking said food at Pauls head.

"If you don't quit, you'll be sucking it up from the ground with your face." Dad threatened.

Paul pivoted catching my raised hand poised for another attack. His eyes blazed, with slight anger and misunderstanding, but amusement was the much more potent emotion, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm throwing Cheetos 'cause I'm mad at you." I said matter-of-factly.

"Could you aim somewhere else?"

"It's either these or I attack you with a spatula."

He sighed, releasing my hand to run his fingers over his face, "So, what's wrong now?"

"You." I replied bluntly.

He quickly became perturbed, "_Me_?"

"Why, yes, _you_." Was that so hard to believe? His face beckoned me to go on, "You've put me in a maximum security prison. Paul," I whined, pulling his hand from his hair, "you can't keep me in a cage forever."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He turned to the left, playing dumb, but his hand locked around mine.

It was my turn to sigh. This was what he said every time we had this conversation. We had just made today lucky number seven. I'd been counting. It wasn't possible for me to be mad at Paul; it just wasn't something my emotions allowed me to do. I could, however, be irritated at his attitude when it came to my safety and to me in general. I made allowances on his part, because I was, in Bradys' terms, "the little female" who always received the gift of trouble and because Paul was the "overbearing male" when it came to me.

In these situations, Paul usually avoided me for the rest of the day, and when morning would come, a box of Nerds would be waiting for me by my door. A sort of truce for the argument. Although, we both wound up talking about a few days later, and thus the same argument would resume.

"I should beat the living daylights outta both of y'all. Out here, whooping and hollering for all the neighbors to see. Especially you, young man. It's my daughters' birthday. Don't you have anything better to do than pick on her?"

In the corner of my eye, I saw Paul gape slightly, and then blink rapidly. Was the wolf afraid of the dad? Men and their egos…

"Do you not understand the meaning of subtle?" I asked in disbelief.

"Subtle's not in my dictionary, bug."

I scowled, "You better learn it."

"You leave those two alone, do you hear me?" My mom came rushing up to us, her heels sinking in the mushy ground. "Now, Paul, be a dear and go inside, I have to talk to Evie."

Paul didn't have to be told twice, for he was kicking up nonexistent dust trying to get away from my parents.

Dad snickered, "Boy acts like the seat of his britches are on fire."

"Is this an intervention?" I drummed my fingers across my thigh impatiently, wanting to skip to the chase.

"No, no. I have a birthday gift." My moms face flushed, and she bit her lip, "Actually, baby doll, it's for both you _and_ Paul."

A wooden box was shoved into my chest. I caught it easily before it fell. It was the size of a jewelry holder, one that would keep a set of earrings.

"It's from your mom _and_ me." Dad nodded, looking slightly away, his mouth puckering.

"Hurry!" My mom commanded, her smooth hands flying toward her cheeks.

Grumpily, I snatched the latch lid off, and stopped. Two gleams shown, dancing against the sun, playing off the shiny metal.

"What _is_ this?" I choked, my hand still hovering above the box.

"What does it look like?" Both of my parents answered in unison.

"Bands…" My eyes seemed to be getting bigger by the second, "Wedding bands."

"Evie, darling! They're perfect, don't you think? Plain, very simple, just like you like things. Silver goes wonderful with your skin tone."

My mind blocked out her babble as I focused on the implications these little rings made. Usually, these bands were designated for you and your significant other. A sign of everlasting devotion, of complete an utter understanding. What had I done to warrant such a thing?

Marriage? To Paul? With rings and doves? White cake tiered in four layers with the bride and groom dolls sitting on top? Guests giving their congrats while their only reason for being there is the free food? A mid-evening serenade? Wedding gifts full of useless, embarrassing items? A stuffy wedding dress? Paul in a tux? Had the world gone absolutely _mad_?

"Ridiculous." I uttered. Slowly, the shock was waning, leaving confusion.

"Bug. What's ridiculous is _you_." Dads' arm hooked around my shoulder, "Even if you searched the world you wouldn't find another like him."

There was cotton in my ears, I couldn't listen. His words fell to deaf ears, "An awful gift from the both of you. Awful. Foul. It makes my mind feel dirty! What…what kind of parents are you?" With that, I stomped off toward the back of the house, missing the way my dad had comforted me like old times.

To say I was sulking was an understatement. To say I was kicking myself in the butt for even inviting my parents was entirely correct. Honestly, weren't parents supposed to preach abstinence? Weren't they supposed to say you shouldn't get married until you're forty and living in a house full of cats? It was the stereotypical way I had been raised, along with a good chunk full of other teenagers my age. Parents were meant to say things like that, but when the time came, why did their actions display something so…out of character?

My world had been flip-flopped once again. It was one thing to say that you'd get married someday. Not tomorrow, or next month, but in a few years. Here I was thinking I would never get married. That was probably because I never thought about it. Sure, it was there hiding in the back of my mind, but it never occurred to me that my parents, or even Paul for that matter, would actually want me to get married. There I went again, being overly naive. I should've known better. It came with the territory of dating a werewolf with the special power of imprinting.

An unfortunate side effect that made my stomach roll just thinking about it.

I swallowed back the bile building in my throat and suddenly, little butterflies filled my entire body. There was a possibility I'd start flying. All I had to do was wait for my wings to grow- what was a mythical world without huge people with butterfly wings? As I took calming breaths, I made a beeline for the grill; the one that dark swirls of choking smoke was coming out of. It wasn't hard to mistake. Just look for the tall half-naked man with the tongs and fork who would rather be drinking a beer than cooking a ton of steaks.

"Jacob." I acknowledged, taking a seat downwind.

"Evelyn."

I watched as he slathered soy sauce onto the steaks sending more breathtaking smoke into the air, "You kinda suck at this."

He sighed, obviously not wanting to talk to me, "Which is why I'm keeping my day job."

"The joys of being a werewolf. At least you're good at something."

"_Good one_."

"Show a little enthusiasm, buddy."

"Right, because you're the poster child of enthusiasm."

"Damn straight."

Jacob laughed. Really laughed. Not the fake, stuffy, sorrow ridden laugh, but a free laugh, one that felt as if he had been holding it in forever. Now, I saw what Bella had seen in him, that sunshine. I wished Jacob could stay like this.

"You might wanna flip the steaks." I said, yawning and pointing at the same time.

He ignored my advice, letting the steaks on the grill char a bit, "Marriage, huh? Honestly, can't say I didn't this one coming."

"Oh, no." I moaned, "You heard? Sweet firecrackers, do you think you-know-who heard?" I prayed that he would lie to me and tell me no.

"Sure, sure." Jacob grinned, enjoying himself, "I would bet he's putting on his tux right about now."

"Liar. He doesn't own a tux."

"Oh, I should know- he took me with him."

"Shit, you're lying."

"Maybe." He shrugged, "Its Paul we're talking about, he's not exactly Einstein."

My leg bounced, an annoying tendency, "Jake, has…has Paul said _anything_ to you?"

He snorted, "Like what?"

"You know…" I motioned with my hands. Not wanting to say the words aloud anymore.

"Oh, about him wearing that _cute_ little neck tie sometime soon?" Jacob paused, stabbing the fork in to the steak, and then glanced at me, "Ask him yourself."

Words that didn't make sense started to sputter out of my mouth.

He only sighed and hollered that the steaks were done. It didn't take him long to load up a few plates and take them inside, effectively leaving me alone to wallow in self-misery. My birthday was turning into a TV show that should be shown on Animal Planet. Hide the pigs! Here come the wolves! The Wolf Pack: Alpha Edition. Coming next fall. Next thing you know vampires would wanna have a sparkle show. Replacing fireworks, one leech at a time.

I closed my eyes and took in a big thing of air through my nose.

"Hey." Said a sheepish voice.

I didn't need my eyes to know who this person was. The air charged when he was in my vicinity, and I could always recognize his smell, "Yeah, Paul?"

Paul didn't reply to my question and instead, jerked me to my feet, and started to twirl us around on the wet ground, spinning circles into the grass. Good thing I had a strong stomach. Twirling this much was sure to give someone else a bellyache.

Like any time before, I couldn't stay mad, and my feelings of unease quickly evaporated, "Don't you dare let me go!" I laughed.

He stopped short and pulled me into a hug, kissing my hair, "No worries. My heart won't allow me to do that."

"More like your freaky dexterity."

A calming sensation flooded my body as I snuggled in closer to him. Paul was in a good mood again, if only it would last.

"You know," Paul started rather nervously, slowly moving us in a circle, "Jared and Kim are getting married soon."

"Mhm? What about it?"

"I was thinking maybe we should, _you know_…"

My feet planted in the ground and I swung myself away from him, "_You know_…?" I prompted. This was horrible! I was almost certain of the words that would follow. What was with everyone today?

He looked around for a moment and nodded to himself, "We should tie the knot as well. The way it's going Quil is going to be married before us and that's like, twenty years from now! Come on, Evelyn. Ma-"

"Ooohh! Don't you dare finish that sentence! I'm already living with you; we don't need to be married as well!" I cried. Yeah, after this, I was surely to become gray headed. Marry Paul? Was he serious? Was I wrong for liking it exactly how we were? Sure, Paul wanted a little more than that, but I could only give so much.

"But I want it to be official!" The two year old in Paul hollered.

"It seems you have forgotten about the term "soul mate," that's pretty darn official to me!" Which coins the term: supernaturally engaged.

"That's in _wolf_ terms!"

"We _are_ wolves!"

"We're human too!"

"Then have yourself a wedding, but don't invite me!"

"Ugh, you're horrible!"

"Ugh, you're ridiculous!"

We both seethed for a few minutes. This was what he had been so happy about? Marriage? The guy wanted to marry me when he already had me for the rest of his life? Marriage was expensive. We needed food. We needed clothes. We needed money to keep up the costs of being a werewolf. And here he was worrying about marriage! Of all things!

His hand shot into his pocket and ruffled around, "I even bought you a ring, did you know that?" He said through clenched teeth, "Take it, do whatever you want with it!" The box crashed to the ground and he angrily stormed off, slamming the door to our house and slamming another door that I presumed was his room.

"Hell, we haven't even known each other for two months and you want to marry me? You _big_ idiot!" I screamed after him, knowing good and well that he could hear me.

I let out a frustrated growl and stooped to pick up the dangerous box. It was plain (again with the simple theme), with a silver bow surrounding the shiny blue box. Curiosity got the best of me and I peeked inside. A diamond ring lay nestled in its cozy. I shut it quickly and reopened the box, double-checking that it was in fact a diamond ring.

"Didn't know you were that heartless."

I ignored Leah, who had materialized out of nowhere, and studied the ring. It wasn't elaborate looking, but instead of being a normal wedding ring, it was in clustered with diamonds to make a flower shaped pattern. The sides were open, creating two prongs that held the flower together. There was a feminine feel about it, and the more I looked at, the more I actually wanted to try it on.

"I thought maybe you had changed. Instead, you're still acting like that brat who knew it all way back when."

"Just shut your pie hole, Leah."

"Do you have any idea how he complained to us about that stupid ring? "I wonder if it's the right size." "Will she like it?" "Should I get a new one? What do you think?" Ugh, he went on forever. The least you could have done was to say yes to his proposal!"

"Not my problem." I said, turning to go inside.

She blocked my way, "Do you see those people in there? We were all in on it. We thought you'd be happy, getting the werewolf dream, marrying, and settling down." I stared at the window, and sure enough, everyone was looking back at me, clearly disappointed. "So, then, what is your problem? Paul? _Please_. You have it made here. Do you understand that, prissy pants?"

My body convulsed once and I could feel the water starting to collect in my eyes, "I'm not allowed to have a say-so in my own life? I may have it made here, but what about what _I_ want? Tell me, Leah, what would you have done?"

"I wouldn't have screwed it up, like you've been doing since you got here." She hissed.

"That's right, but that's the difference between you and me. I have to screw up and do whatever the hell I want before I learn my lesson. I would like to think that _you_ of all people would understand that."

Leah went blank, as she had this morning. It was ten heartbeats before she answered, "Fair enough." Her mouth twisted into a sad grin, "At least you have the fairytale, you're stupid if you don't take it." She then took off in a sprint, tearing into the woods, not looking back. A shimmer in the air occurred. Leah had just gone wolf-girl.

--

That afternoon, I could describe it as my worst birthday by far. The food was tasteless, when it should have been mouthwatering. When my cake was lit, candles burning and burning, I could hear no singing. Their mouths moved, I saw them, but the sound was off. As, I had blew out my candles and cut the cake, I couldn't help but wish Paul would come out of his room.

He never did.

It distracted me and I knew why. I wasn't satisfied because I had made a _huge_ mistake.

Leah had been right.

Company left at around midnight, almost staying the entire day of my birth. They had been nice enough to clean up and leave my gifts -embarrassing and slightly ridiculous- in the living room.

I had been putting this off for several hours- giving Paul a piece of chocolate cake. I doubted he would open the door, even for me.

There was no time like the present.

I knocked twice, "Paul?" I whispered.

No answer.

"Paul?" I said a little louder.

The bed squeaked and I heard the distinct sound of grumbling.

"Paul, I know you can hear me!"

"Go away."

My cheeks puffed angrily and I grabbed the doorknob, wriggling it, "I'm gonna come in even if you don't want me to!"

There was a thud, and then heavy steps racing toward the door. The knob stilled, making it unable for me to turn. Paul was holding the door from the other side. Even my strength wasn't a match for his.

"Fine! Then I'll just eat your piece too!" I clamored, grabbing for the slice and stuffing it in my mouth. I felt the chocolate on my cheek, where part of it had missed my mouth. I didn't bother wiping it away as I said my pleas, "Paul." I whined with my mouth full, "I'm sorry. So sorry. Can you forgive me?"

He reacted just the way I knew he would.

As the door opened, revealing his haggard face, I dropped to one knee, "Paul, will you marry me?"

I was watching him, calculating the way his face drained of blood, the way his brows scrunched low over his eyes, this was his thinking mode.

Paul shook his head violently a few times, "No. No."

"Oh." I replied. Was this how Paul felt when I said no? My lungs hurt; it felt as if they were deflating as I watched his conflicted expression. My heart pounded, begging to burst from my chest. It didn't want this feeling either.

"What made you change your mind?" He asked, sinking down beside me.

"Well…you obviously wanna marry me…"

"You don't want to marry me, though."

"…I wanna do what makes you happy, because I'll become happy in the process."

His large hand cupped the side of my face, "Marriage, for us, wouldn't be a big deal." He reassured me, "Being tied together with this bond, only we can see it, but I want everyone to know, how in love I am with you."

For the second time, moister ran down my face, "Gosh, you almost sounded romantic." I half laughed.

"I _am_ romantic." He said, leaning in to peck my lips and wipe the chocolate from my face with his thumb.

A shiver went through my body as he kissed me. My Paul was entirely gentle, but his other qualities were a bit more obtrusive.

"Wait." I pushed him away, "So, you will marry me? Because I'm really confused right now and-"

His hand moved from my cheek to clamp over my mouth, "Hush. I have to be the one to say those words." Paul gave me a naughty smile and mimicked the position that I was still in, "Although, you'll regret this tomorrow. Evelyn, will you marry me?"

I pretended to deliberate, "Hm, I dunno. Do I _really_ want to be married to an unstable werewolf?"

"You're not any better." He said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm a tad bit better." I whispered. Paul was entirely silent, giving me my moment. No, I didn't want to marry Paul, but he had given up a lot for me. Not to mention, I had almost gone to the afterlife. He deserved something for himself, instead of always looking out for me and driving me bonkers. If I had to put on a clown dress just to make him happy, to make him feel like the luckiest guy in the world, could I honestly say no without feeling like the worlds biggest ass? No wasn't an option for me.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, stroking my hair.

"I'm thinking about why I didn't say yes sooner. Besides, I think this ring looks pretty damn good on me." I said, holding up my left hand to flaunt the ring he had bought for me.

It took him a moment for the word to actually register, but when it did, he broke into a huge smile. It stretched from one ear to another, and I couldn't help but smile along with him.

He kissed the finger the ring was on and then locked his eyes onto mine, "I have to ask you a serious question."

"Okay. Go ahead."

"Are you really quitting?"

My lips pursed. That was something I didn't know. I thought I wanted to, but I wasn't so sure anymore, "What do you think I should do?"

There was something in Paul's eyes as I asked that question, it made me worry, "If you quit I quit, but can I ask you another serious question?"

"Stop asking me if you can ask and just spit it out."

"Do you want to have kids?"

I blinked. The guy had blindsided me!

"It's just, maybe if you quit you'll be able to continue you're…uh, you know what I'm talking about and then-"

"Shit, Paul. I'm not having this conversation with you!" I hissed, breaking away from him.

"Oh, yes, you are!"

After all this time, we were still acting as we had when we first met. Kids in love who just had to have the last word. I guess it was a sign of what was to come.

Some things never change...and I couldn't have been any happier.

* * *

**…The End.**

My first fan-fiction EVER has finally come to an unofficial close after such a long time.

**As for other parts of this story:**

**1) **A Leann POV will be put up in a few months.**  
2) **I have 2 different alternate endings gnawing at me. I'm not sure if both will be written, but I know that at least 1 will be posted.**  
3) **I will write some one-shots that will go in chronological order. They will be able to standalone, but they will continue Evie and Pauls' lives.**  
4) **Outtakes will be posted. I have a few, maybe two or three at the most.**  
5) **The above 4 will not be posted for a good while. I seriously, _seriously_ have to update my other stories and let them move along.

Last, but not least:

**Thank y'all for being such wonderful reviewers and readers. I have received so much support that's its overwhelming; I've also made some wonderful friends who I would have never met if not for this story. I hope that y'all continue to follow my work in the future. Thank you again my great reviewers. I owe you one. *group hug***

You can still ask me questions, if y'all have any. (A Q&A chappie will be posted soon.)


	37. Interlude for CH 21: Seths POV

This is a companion piece for _chapter 21_. (Some of y'all have read it, others have not. This is also classified as a outtake.) While I do think this chapter should have came right after 21, I'm not going to reorder the chapters just for one little interlude.

PS: This chappie is in **SETHS POV**. OK?

* * *

Today was the day. The day where everything was going to be laid out on the line. No more secrets. It was sink or swim time. Personally, I was hoping that I wouldn't be dragged under by the currents.

Last night was the worst. Paul had paraded around to everyone in the pack after his date was finished. We had held a small congratulatory party for him, of course. It was always exciting to see a family member become happy. Even though we were pack brothers, it didn't mean I couldn't be jealous of him. I had full reign of the emotion last night.

Leah wasn't exactly happy with me either. I've seen her mind, I know what she thinks about all of this. Time after time, she's explained it to me. The same thing, again and again. A broken record. I know she's just looking out for me, but what's going through life if you don't fight for what you want?

As far as I know, it's Paul who's bound to Evie, not the other way around. Or at least that's what I hoped. I didn't want to be to late.

I was already hopping up the stairs to her house and tapping on her door before I could even process what I would say first. For a moment, I panicked. What would I say?

And then I could hear her running to the door, her breathing was quick and uneven. The door was almost ripped off its hinges. Evie stood for a moment just looking at me, with what was that? Shock, maybe? Her hair was in a messy half ponytail, stray hairs stuck behind her ears. A small blanket was wrapped around her waist, and I could see brown wet spots on it. Chocolate by the smell of it. The makeup that had looked radiant on her last night was worn off, leaving the glow that only she could have. Even though she was beautiful, she looked like hell today.

Without warning, she slammed into me. "Seth!"

I felt myself chuckle and petted her head. "Hello to you too." I smiled down at her. Her eyes were glossy and big, a deep endless pit of dark brown stared up at me. She was obviously sick.

"What are you doing here? Gosh, I missed you!" She was the energizer bunny, bouncing and happy. How could anyone not like her? She was a bundle of happiness; she was someone you'd want to keep bottled up on your shelf just so you would have a good day everyday.

I looked over her shoulder for a split second and saw Paul was here. I should've figured she wouldn't be alone. A brilliant idea hit me, "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the beach with me."

"Sure. Let me change." She skipped off past the guys, not even looking back or over to acknowledge them. I smirked in triumph.

Once she was safely out of hearing range, Paul started to walk toward me, stopping when he was just a few feet away, "Seth."

"Paul." I greeted and nodded toward Brady.

"Why are you here?" Paul demanded. His brow was arched up, and he was trying to keep his cool, but you can't keep something you don't have.

"To go out with Evie." I replied happily, swinging my arms to the side, not bothering to hide my excitement.

"Don't you remember what I told you?" He hissed. Already his anger had seeped through, "You just don't listen."

"I don't remember a stamp being on her." I stared over Paul's head toward where Evie had gone, she was being awfully quiet.

"Like hell. I stamped her the moment I saw her." He took an involuntary step toward me. I held up my hands in a peace offering. That was one thing I refused to do. I wouldn't get into another pointless fight with him, just because he can't control himself.

"So she's a possession now?" I asked, aghast.

"She's mine." Paul growled, trying to become a threat. He was using intimidation tactics. Didn't he know? He couldn't get rid of me that easily.

"And yet you forget she's not only the imprint, but human. Not only human, but independent." I exhaled, and I pulled at my hair. Here goes nothing, "And you forget I was friends with her first."

"That's what it comes down to." His expression turned sour, "I knew it."

"I want my friend back." In reality, I wanted so much more than that.

"I'm not stopping you from being friends with her. But I know you Seth. I've seen what you think about her." He whispered, edging toward me, almost pleading with his eyes to make me understand. He wanted me to see I could potentially take away his reason for life. And I had to admit, I didn't want to hurt Paul, not really. We were brothers after all, and the pain of one was the pain of others.

"Then why are you worried?" I crossed my arms, "You know you have her." I added grudgingly.

He grimaced for a moment and covered it up, "Not yet."

Paul reached out and plopped into the near by chair. Swear words came out of his mouth, so low and fast I couldn't make out hardly any of them. I almost felt bad for him. Evie was giving him a run for his money. The girl has spunk, and she's also able to resist. Or that was until last night. I shied away from that thought as I heard her door open.

Jared was the wolf in the next room. Poor guy. He can't even go an hour, let alone three days without seeing his imprint. But Sam said I would understand when it happened to me. But what if I didn't want it to happen? That would mean forgetting. Forgetting was never good.

I picked up the word dinner and instantly became joyous. I was making myself at home tonight.

Evie rounded the corner; jeans replaced the blanket she had been in. I shot her smile, which earned me the tongue. Instead of coming toward me, she went to Paul, and bent down…

I waited outside after that. Maybe I had been wrong to come here. Maybe I was the only one holding on anymore. Was I? Was I so involved in my own world that I hadn't noticed a change?

My thoughts were lost when I felt a not-so-subtle kick on my foot, "You've gotten meaner." I complained, hopping up down on my uninjured foot.

"Maybe I've just gotten tougher." Her shoulders moved side to side as she hide her smile.

I rolled my eyes and looked her over, searching for any signs of 'toughness', "Nope, definitely meaner."

Evie then got a distant look in her eyes as we walked. I could practically see the sentences forming in her head as the emotions danced over her face. For once, I wish I had some sort of power, maybe Edwards; I wanted to know what she thought. When she smiles at me, if I could just know what runs through her head at the moment, things would be great.

I wouldn't have to doubt anymore.

The calming scent of the ocean filled up my senses, drowning everything out, and letting me focus on why I was here. Gently, I grabbed her arm when we came to the right spot and pulled her down beside me.

I heard an almost inaudible gasp, but thanks to my wolf hearing, I picked it up easily, "This is where we first met. This exact spot." Her voice held a certain audacity to it.

I felt myself beam at her in response. She remembered after all, "It feels like forever ago."

"Tell me about it. This will always be my favorite spot on the beach."

"Same here." I agreed happily.

That's why I chose this spot. The first time we had ever met. Such a long time ago. I could tell her everything about that day. From the clothes she wore, to the type of weather there was, and everything we had talked about. That was the day I declared if I could imprint on anybody, it would have been on her. Maybe in a way I was like Jake, trying to force myself to imprint, but knowing it wouldn't happen. But you can't change how you feel about someone.

"So, why did you want to go for a walk?" She said while studying me curiously.

Just tell her. Say it now. I stole another glance at her. I couldn't say it to her. I couldn't say what needed to be said. I clenched my hand and pushed my aggravating hair out of the way, "I dunno. I just wanted to talk. We don't really hang out anymore." I lied.

She gave me a skeptical look, "Mhm. Yeah. I thought I had scared you off with my fearsome video game powers."

I scoffed; we still had a score to settle, "Never, you just got a lucky break."

"Psh. So, what can you do? Besides turn into a giant wolf?" Her bony finger poked my side.

"Lots." I frowned at her and turned my attention back toward the ocean. A storm was rumbling in, it wouldn't be to long and we would have to head back. I just needed to get in on with and say what needs to be said. All I need is the perfect moment, since the first one passed me by. I would not chicken out.

"Like?" She dawdled, "Are you the 'fetch the ball' champion or something?"

"What's with the dog jokes?" I asked, trying to keep the disgust out of my tone.

"Oh, come on, Beethoven. You know that was funny."

She was laughing like a mad-woman. On the verge of hysteria, but to engrossed in having fun to care, "Do you have a mental problem?"

"Only with you." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Don't I feel special now." Sarcasm coated my voice, but I was elated on the inside.

"You should." I watched her face, as it curved into a half smile, "If you're lucky…Some of my mental problems might rub off on you. I bet that would make you feel really special."

"Right. Maybe I'd get the psychotic part of you." I debated, "That would be really fun."

"That's awful of you Seth. I'm not psychotic, and you know it." A handful of sharp stones bounced off my leg. I held in my laughter, "Okay, so maybe I'm a little psychotic." She grinned.

"An understatement." I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her toward my side and tucking her there. Now or never, I thought to myself. How would she react to this? To the boy who hadn't talked to her in weeks? To the boy who had dropped off her radar when he kissed her? To the boy who had never gotten her off his mind? It would never be simple, really. "You know, I love you, right?"

She hesitated for the slightest second, "Yeah? I love you too, Seth." Evie glanced up at me, her eyes held confusion.

And just like that, the last of the pieces skittered to the side, lining themselves up into a different position. None of them my way. There would always be an easy, effortless, never ending stream of happiness between us. What would happen if I told her? Actually, explained it out to her? I could see it in her eyes the love she held was different. The things Leah said made sense now. Admitting and trying would end up a destruction of that happiness. There would be no 'I'm in love with you, Evelyn. Don't you get it?' speech. Not anymore. She wasn't even mine and I was afraid to lose her. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

"Let's go back. I heard you were cooking us dinner." I said while jumping up to the balls of my feet and sticking out my hand for Evie.

"If I remember correctly, I said I would cook Jared dinner. Not the wolf pack."

"Jared is the wolf pack." I teased.

"Whatever. I know I won't win this one." She grumbled, her face puckering every so slightly.

"It's for the best." I whispered and bent down to give her a hug.

After all, being able to stay beside the one you love is one of the privileges of being a friend.


	38. Q&A chapter

**A warning**: Do NOT read this _Questions & Answers_ chapter without reading the whole story first.  
There ARE spoilers ahead. You have been warned. :D

**NOTE: Anything posted after this chapter will be an outtake, one-shot, or a continuation of Evie and Pauls lives.**

If I find anymore questions, I'll edit this chapter to include them.

* * *

**How old is Evelyn and Paul when the story begins?** Evie 17 when our story starts (She's now 18). I never gave Pauls age, I've just now realized, but he was 18- but he's already had his birthday. So he's 19 now.  
Evies birthday is August 5.  
Pauls is June 2.

_**Beyond is information concerning the ending.**_

**(CH: 35) - Did Evie die in her world with Paul and is she now back in Alabama?** Nope. Evie died in the 'real' world. Basically, her soul was split in half. Half belongs to the fictional world, and the other half belongs to the real world. She is officially a mythical being now.

**Then why is Paul with her at the end of chapter 35?** At the end, Paul is with her because they are at the Uley house recuperating.

**Was Evie dying in her the "real world" to begin with?** Good question! *Ponders* If she had phased in the real world, yes, she would have died. It would have been much like massive system failure or cancer. Being a werewolf is much the same as pure magic. You can't take magic where it doesn't exist.

**How exactly did she get to this world of fiction?** I'm not exactly sure myself. T_T Lets see, she was /_born_/ with the ability (gene, in this case) to become a mythical creature. So, in fact, this whole story started when Evies' mom did the deed with Sam Uleys' dad. But how in the world did that come about when Twilight hadn't even been written? Maybe the line between fiction and reality is blurred in Washington, which is possibly the reason why the wolves do not tell anyone about their secret. The real world would get wind and everyone would try and meet them- who knows?

**What was the actual ending?** The actual ending was the one you read, but here's a little bit more clarification: Evie has woken up in the fictional La Push. The extent of her injuries is the same. Evie has also been reborn into the fictional world, and the Evie from the real world has died. (Nope, there were not 2 Evies, just her soul belonged in two places at once. Thus, one could not coexist with the other) Paul is just fine- well, besides his shoulder.

**Were any of the other wolves going to die as well?** *Grins* YES! I had been playing with the idea of killing off Paul at the end too- thought that would have been to Romeo and Juliet though. Seth was possibly gonna die in the other ending (So, when Evie died she would meet the human Seth and not mythical). And Brady, well, Brady loves Eves, in a platonic way of course, so when they phased, he went after the vampire. He was beat up pretty badly. If he had been in the clearing earlier, he would have died, unfortunately.

**What about Leann?** Well, remember how I said that the line between fiction and reality was blurred in Washington? She was able to safely cross over without any incidents. Not only that, but she's entirely different than Evie. Evie choose Paul over her truelove Seth. Seth IS Leann's Soulmate now that Evie is with Paul.

**Chart time:**

Human Seth + human Evie= Truelove

Mythical Paul + mythical Evie= Soulmates

Human Leann + mythical Seth= Soulmates

So, if human Evie had met human Seth they would have ended up together...I think. Well, I dunno. I'll have to write it and see. D:

Now, that doesn't really mean squat, because something COULD happen in the real world that could cause Lee to die. As in, her kid could kill her, because well, the kid doesn't belong there. Scary. But that's an entirely different story.

* * *

That concludes the questions.  
More to be added, possibly, :D


	39. One Shot: The Girl Who Cried Wolf

Here's your continuation of Evie and Paul's lives! Half was written about two years ago and I finally got up the nerve to finish it.

* * *

"This is the worst day in my entire life, if this dress doesn't work; I'm wearing scrubs down the aisle."

Here went Evie being Evie. Yes, I was dramatic. Yes, I had groaned and growled while being shoved into a dress that was meant for a size 2, not a size werewolf. They just did not understand. Wedding dresses and a temperamental werewolf just did not mix. It was a tale as old as time. Evelyn shall never find a proper wedding dress thanks to be so freaking huge and disproportionate.

"It just needs to be longer and let out in the front." Emily reassured me, snapping the last few buttons in the back closed.

I snorted, "A good foot longer. The thing is practically up to my knees."

A paper hit the back of my head, "You making it out worse than it really is. Just shut up and be the bride-to-be you're supposed to be for ten more minutes."

"Could you have used "be" any more than that?" I grumbled at Leah.

The rolled up paper hit me again. Yes, hitting me was definitely improving my mood. Good job, Leah.

The tailor came back with a measuring tape just as I was about to bite Leahs head off, "About three inches need to be added to the hem. Are you wearing heels?" So I'd been exaggerating about the length. It didn't change the fact that my ankles were showing.

"No." Hell no. That was like asking a diabetic if they wanted extra sugar. You don't give a person something they don't need and I had more height than I appreciated.

She was a plump woman, the tailor, with red hair that stood on its end, but with a face that spelled kindness and oozed a peaches and cream complexion. "Three inches then. What shoes are you wearing? Flats?"

I realized she must have dealt with all sorts of brides, but what about the bride that didn't even know the basics of her own wedding? My toes were peaking from the fabric that flowed out from my legs, showing their faded banana yellow polish, "I was thinking….barefoot." Actually, I was pulling this out of my butt, but they didn't need to know that. If I was wearing a dress on my wedding day, why should I have to wear heels too? Did they want me strangle myself in fabric and impel myself with shoes too?

"_Really_?" The woman asked, intrigued or maybe it was a mixture between wonder and disgust. I wasn't up for an indepth reading of her expression, nor did I care what she thought about my choice in wedding attire…or lack thereof.

"I'm too tall. I don't need the extra height."

Emily ran an exhausted hand down her face, "Paul will follow your lead."

"It'll give our wedding character." I defended. The idea of Paul in a tux, without shoes, well, I kinda liked the idea. His bare feet, my bare feet, I could definitely get used to that idea.

"Character?" Leah mocked, rubbing her hands on the paper, "We have _enough_ character as it is."

"Then all the guests can go barefoot too." I could hear the finality in my voice and the slight agitation. I knew it would never be enforced. Everyone would wear shoes; this discussion would never leave the dressing room. If they thought I would step into a pair of feet killers, they were highly mistaken. I would _not_ be a skyscraper on my wedding day.

Emily exchanged a look with Leah, the kind that practically yelled I was crazy, and then they both replied, "I guess."

"Is this the dress then?" The tailor, whose name I didn't ask and didn't care to know, was getting tired of our games and I would be too, it was our fifth visit in last two weeks. We should be special customers by now. Unfortunately, you only get discounts if you've bought several, _several_ dresses- and I was no divorced female who was looking at her seventh husband and her seventh wedding dress. Too bad they didn't have a coupon day…

This had to be the umpteenth wedding dress to make a debut on my tall frame. While at first I had wanted a princess gown (thank you, Claire) I quickly figured out it made me look like a clown destined for the Ringling Brothers show and I hated clowns. Scared of them actually. Changing into a wolf didn't mean your fears stopped, it made them worse when pack mates got a hold to said fears. Never again will I get up in the middle of the night when there is tapping on my window. I shivered just thinking about it.

Like every gown I had tried on, it was the traditional generic white- for my mom begged me to wear a traditional gown, and I couldn't see myself walking down the aisle in powder blue or some color. I was happy to oblige. The front was a little tight, clinging to my chest, making me suffer its horrible wrath. The hemline was short, showing my ankles, but that was easily taken care of. From every other standpoint, if I looked at it positively, I could I actually say I looked beautiful.

And I did.

The dress had a sweetheart neckline, with thin straps that seemed to have no purpose in holding my chest up. Although it was tight, with proper care and a little extending, my chest would look _fantastic_. It had an empire waist that flared out into a mermaid style leaving me to almost believe I was delicate and human again. The back plunged, showing my shoulders and ribs and leaving nothing to the imagination. Well, I guess that depended on who you were. It was one of my conditions: _Make Paul Wallow_. I had to have little fun on the wedding day too, didn't I?

I couldn't help but like the silk material, and while my fingers played with the beading on the bodice, I realized I really loved this dress. Chalk it up to fantasies, but I felt like a princess without the gigantic gown. Yes, this was all going to my head.

"This is the one."

There was a collective sigh and I knew I had made the right choice.

* * *

"You bought a dress?" Paul asked seemingly uninterested as he munched on an expired candy bar he had found under the couch cushions.

I shrugged and flipped through the bridal magazines Emily had left me. Posing models in huge designer gowns, lying over equally expensive furniture stared back at me. Did they think real women would make those kinds of poses? Most of us would break a neck if we attempted anything like that- I was no exception. Well, I imagine I could if I wanted to feel really stupid.

"What does it look like?"

"White. Long. A dress, Paul. A dress."

He chewed his food a bit faster, "I was asking for type." Paul mumbled.

"Honestly, do you think I would tell _you_?" I rolled my eyes at its obviousness.

There was a pause as he considered what I said, the couch dipped next to me, "You want us to have a _normal_ wedding. Groom has to wait to see the bride all dressed up on the wedding day. Who would've thought?" His face was brought up into a smile. It made me sigh just looking at him. Large chocolate eyes, framed by long dark lashes, a broad face that was cut strongly, and shapely pouted lips. He was truly a handsome man. These last few months had really made him grow up, for the most part. He was still jerk when things didn't go his way, but he was coming along.

I made a motion with my hands, "It would be considered sacrilegious if we didn't." Not to mention, my mother wanted the whole thing to be traditional as possible. To be honest, I wouldn't mind Paul being put in his place for a few hours, torturing him with that backless dress.

"Big word."

"Oh, be quiet."

"Makes me excited."

The way his voice sounded made my innards melt just a bit. "You better stop that right now, mister." I continued flipping the pages, trying in vain to focus on something other that Pauls right hand stroking my thigh.

"Evelyn." He whispered, his other hand coming to pull the shoulder of my shirt down, exposing the skin there. He kissed it, gently and deliberately and slowly, "I want you."

My breathing came out shallow and I took in a shuddering gulp of air, "We can't-" I started.

"Why not?" His mouth worked its way up, lingering on my collarbone and nipping at the sensitive skin, "Evelyn." He said again, but this time it was more of a whine, more of a moan.

That was too much. The magazine thumped onto the floor and I was pushed backwards until Paul was fully on top of me. His elbow rested to the side of my shoulder, his weight dispersed so I wouldn't feel it too heavily. My shirt had worked its way up to my abdomen and laid bunched at my back, I couldn't tell if it was uncomfortable or not. All I could feel was Paul.

"I asked, why not?" His lips playfully touched mine, in a fleeting sort of way and pulled back.

A growl of impatience rolled through me and this time when his mouth came swooping down my hand was there, blocking its path, "We've waited this long."

His progress wasn't deviated, "We don't have to wait any longer. Do we?" He prompted; I could feel my shirt rising and stop as it snagged on my bra. His free hand fumbled, trying to unsnag it from the decoration it was hung on.

I was dazed and conflicted. Certainly, it shouldn't hurt to engage in a _little_ premarital sex. We had grown quite a bit since our last incident that had left us cold and numb and resentful. We were adults who were about to get married. We _were_ adults. We loved each other. So what was holding me back?

My fingers danced over his arms, tracing their way over his bare chest and up toward his sturdy neck, "I want you Paul, I really do, but I need a bit more time."

Paul's face was stunned into a smooth expression, one I couldn't quite understand, "You really want to wait? I didn't think you cared."

"I don't care about being untouched for the wedding night. No. God, that's not even close."

Something else tinted his face. He was going to say something I wasn't going to like, "Is this about Seth? Do you still have feeling for him? Even though…"

My hands fisted into his hair and I jerked his head back, "Don't be an asshole. If you're stupid enough to think he's the cause then-"

"Don't you finish that sentence."

I had rubbed off on Paul, that's all there was to it. He was beginning to sound like me, "Listen to me, Paul. Are you listening?" His eyes told me he was and that he wasn't too happy with me right now, "It's more than just what happened last time. I could never regret being with you, but this is all coming so fast. _I want us to be together_, but I'm already confused with which way is up. Let's do this when I'm not so jumbled."

Paul ran his fingers through my hair, tucks strands behind my ear, and then letting the palm rest against my cheek, "It's not that you don't want to have sex with me…"

I laughed then, "Don't be dense. You're not the only one turned on."

"When we have sex, it'll be when we're married?"

"A man's worst nightmare." I confirmed.

He hung his head, "I hope you can live up to my fantasies."

I gave his head a good yank again and pushed him off on to the floor. Why in the hell was I marrying this man again?

"Love makes a man do the oddest things." Paul sighed and gave my knuckles a tender kiss, lingering at my ring finger, "At least we'll have the rest of our lives together."

Yeah, that's why.

* * *

It was the day of the rehearsal and the day before the wedding. I was in a sundress, one that couldn't be compared to a wedding dress, but it was supposed to get me used to the idea. Paul was in one of the chairs that went in rows of four, angled along the cliffs giving a breath taking view of the sea. This was one of the places the guys jumped from and really the perfect place for a ceremony. We had decided on an evening wedding, one that would allow the sun to create shades of orange and pink in the sky as we got married. We also decided to have a bonfire, with a few lanterns, to light the night as things drew on. I say we, but who am I kidding? Paul had all the fancy ideas (with help from Emily and Kim) and I was more than happy to let him run with it.

Seth was my stand-in-groomsman. Talk about irony. It was Paul's idea. I think he found it funny. I didn't. I found it completely ridiculous that he still harbored a grudge against Seth. We had only kissed one time. Even though I had kissed Paul more than enough, I guess he didn't like it because Seth beat him to my first kiss. Paul was being Paul, rubbing in the fact we were getting married, while making Seth watch.

Whatever their deal with each other was, I couldn't tell it now. They were on their best behavior. Lord knows I needed them on their best behavior. If they had a meltdown, I would go certifiably crazy.

I was at the end of the line of chairs, waiting on my cue. My father wasn't here, he wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow morning. (Thankfully, he was arriving alone, without Molly, his now ex-girlfriend.) Cutting it late because he didn't want to give me away, he must have forgotten he was the one who helped buy the wedding bands. Seth stood studiously at the front, looking my way. It was when Embry started to belt out the wedding march that I got this funny feeling in my stomach. It wasn't a bubbly puking feeling, more of a, "Oh shit, what am I doing?" feeling. I knew I was in a heap of trouble as I fidgeted down the aisle.

The preacher thought so, too.

"Ms. Evelyn. You should be calmer when making your debut. You are a bride! Stand strong, smile, and relax. Do not forget to make eye contact with your husband. He will help you through it."

He directed that I should go back to my starting point.

I growled. My fingernails dug into my palms and I shook out the restlessness. It wasn't my fault the preacher had had a pageant daughter and he taught her how to walk right, how to smile, how to deceive an entire body of people, but I hated to break it to the poor man; I wasn't his daughter and I didn't have a background in pageants. Unless you counted a few things I done when I was a kid, but it was such a long time ago I didn't remember about them. He couldn't expect me to tromp around as though I was Miss Universe.

Then Embry started again. I tried really hard to look Seth in the eye, to pretend that he was Paul, and that I was happy, no, _ecstatic _to be here. It didn't work. I could hear Emily talking in hushed whispers with Kim. Apparently, they thought my behavior was weird, and that I was acting as though I was about to bolt at any moment.

Was I? Was I about to lose my pants, so to speak, and rush away? My stomach dropped and did more flips than that of all the rides in Six Flags combined.

I was scared and I was acting like a runaway bride. I didn't make it down the aisle, I couldn't, so I said, "Can Paul do his part first, please?"

There were exasperated whispers everywhere and I knew Paul was standing beside me- quick as lightning. He was there, we were bonded, I'd always know.

"Crowds?"

I sucked in a breath and pried apart my dry lips, "No. I don't think so. It's the whole walking toward your future part, I think."

"You're scared."

It was a statement, not a question, "Yeah. I'm scared. I'm supposed to be, right? It's…It's a universal feeling for every wife-to-be, right?" I forced out a chuckle, "_Right_?"

He stared real hard at his hands stationed in front of him, clasped gently against his stomach, "We'll see."

So much for a reassurance. "You're not worried?" Everyone was watching us have our little moment. Some, the more gifted of the two beings that were here, could hear our little talk.

Paul sat heavily on one of the few guest chairs, "I'm only worried about your expression."

"I'm gonna be here." I said resolutely, but the rest I wasn't quite sure if it was the truth or a lie, "I'm gonna marry you tomorrow, no matter what."

I could hear him snort as if he were saying that remains to be seen.

* * *

"If you don't stop fidgeting, baby doll, you're going to rip something."

My mom was smoothing the bottom of my mermaid dress. My wedding dress. It was perfect now, the correct length, and the chest area had been expanded. It _looked_ like I was getting married. The air buzzed in wedding cheer. It _felt_ as though I was getting married. My brows were drawn in a knot, one that was sure to give me headache. I didn't have time to worry about headaches. I had to worry about ripping my dress, messing my hair up, or smudging my makeup. Not to mention turning into a huge mythical beast.

No, I had absolutely the worst time of keeping myself human. My plan to quit had been blown up in smoke. Paul was doing a better job that I was. In the last few months, he had phased, intentionally, twice. Me? Well, times that number by twelve. The little engine that couldn't. That's me.

What I wouldn't give be running right now. Fast and free through the woods, just me and the wind in my face…

"Is she in a coma?" I heard Kim say.

"Not moving. Not talking. Odd." Leah's hand waved back and forth in front of my face. "You've got to snap out of it, Evie!"

My breathing caught, and whooshed out, "I'm alive." I confirmed. Not by much, but I'm alive.

I was steadily turned to face the mirror that was stationed in the little bridal tent. Everything on me screamed, "You're getting married!" My makeup was subtle, but my eyes were lined in charcoal, drawing attention to my face. My lips were even painted a peach color and my skin had a gleam to it. Though my hair was up, trails of curls floated down my neck. My hair had grew out quite a bit and now looked halfway decent. A jeweled headpiece lay perfectly still, it was almost too small to notice, but once the faint iridescent jewels caught the light, they twinkled brightly. I had even been wrangled into a pair of flats; I still preferred my other idea best.

"My baby is getting married." My mom wailed slightly, throwing her arms gently over my shoulders. She was making slight sobbing sounds.

I patted her back, "I haven't lived at home for awhile now. This isn't any different."

Her back sharply straightened, "You have no idea what it's like to worry how your daughter is." She scolded me, "If she's eating or if she has a cold or off doing bad things. You'll see. You're kids will be just as bad as are, its how it works."

I was taken off guard by her sudden outburst. So was everyone else in the tent.

"Well, mom, I'm probably not going to have kids for a long, long while…"

Her face flamed, and a stray curl fell onto her cheek, "You mean to say I'm not going to get any grandkids right now?"

I gaped and tried to think of an explanation. None came. Mom was worried about grandkids? She thought Paul and I were humping like rabbits then. Worse, I bet she thought I was already pregnant. Emily grabbed my mom by the hand and started to talk swiftly to her. Whatever she said had her calming down by the second. Today was a day for meltdowns apparently.

A set of cold hands touched my bare back, "Everyone's about ready. Paul's already at the alter."

A chill, directly unrelated to Kim's cold hands, ran down my spine. Don't be sick. Don't be sick. For the love of God, Evelyn, don't throw up on your gown or become a big fuzzy dog. I took a deep breath and almost choked.

"I need a few minutes."

Kim and Emily left first. Leah looked me in the eyes and said, "Don't do anything stupid."

When she was finally gone, my mother took my hands, smiled at the ring Paul had bought me, and covered them with hers, "It's okay to be nervous. You look beautiful, honey. I'll bet that boy will see stars when he gets a good look at you." She smiled then, a tender smile that showed a mothers warmth, "Don't be long. I'll send your father in when it's time."

I was finally alone. Well, as alone as a pack of werewolves would allow, but this space was mine. All mine. I could think, I could finally breathe. I couldn't really. Breathe, that is. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. On their own, my fingers reflexively rubbed my chest, willing the hurt to stop. The air I breathed felt like needles in my lungs.

I _needed_ to see Paul. Just see him, to make sure he was here, that he was waiting for me. Through the cracks of the tent I peered out. I could see the jumble of faces, both human and werewolf. Some were smiling, some were staring off into space, but most looked glad to be here. The alcohol wouldn't be served until after the nuptials, the crazy drunks would come out at night, but for right now, the guests were calm. The whole pack was here, as was Sue, Billy, and even Old Quil. There were people I didn't recognize- those were council members or whoever Paul had invited. My invite total was two, mom and dad. Leann wasn't invited and the friends back home had no place here. I didn't belong in their world anymore, just as they didn't belong in mine.

There were flowers strung about. Not the fancy ones, but the kind you see in a meadow, the kind you wouldn't think twice about stepping on. They were everywhere, decorating the chairs, the few tables that were set up, it was lovely. Then I looked past all that.

He was standing there, beyond the mass of people. Paul in his tux. He stood tall and straight, staring off at the ocean. His profile was handsome as ever. His thoughts didn't betray him, whatever he was thinking was only his to know. Was he happy deep inside? Shouldn't he be smiling? What was he thinking that made it look like his world was about to be shoved off the cliff? As if my thoughts called to him, he looked toward the tent and I stumbled backwards.

_No. No. No._ My hands shook violently in front of me, my flower engagement ring taunting me. Bad idea, Evelyn. Such a bad idea. Why did I agree to get married? I could have Paul without being married. We didn't need any of this. It was only for show….right? I shook my head to dispel such thoughts. Only, the thoughts stayed and burned. They swept through my mind, latching on and spreading like a wildfire which couldn't be contained. I no longer had control over myself.

"I'm so sorry, Paul." I whispered.

I took off running to the back exit and pushed aside the flap. Embry stood in my way.

"Where are you going, little offering?" He grinned at me and held his arms out, "That's right, let's run away together."

"Shut up." I hissed, "Move."

"No can do. I'm the guard that makes sure the princess doesn't get away." He waggled his brows, "It's an important job. Let's get back inside before I have to report this to the boss."

"Paul set up guard duty? _For me?_" He knew I would run and he was not giving me any choice in the matter.

"Come on, little offering. Scoot."

"I don't want to have to hurt you Embry, but I will if I have to. _Move_."

I could see his urge to laugh, the way his mouth pressed together, and the coughing sounds that came from within. "I'm not afraid—_ah shit_."

My fist had connected with his nose and a fine trickle of blood started.

"You hit me. You really hit me."

I gaped at my hand and the stain of red at the hem of my dress, "You got blood on my dress. _My mother is going to kill you_." I wasn't quite aware of what I was doing or the reason why seeing him bleed gave me such satisfaction, only to then plummet in the horror of seeing it. I was freaked out. Some part of me knew I was the cause of the blood. I had hit him, hadn't I? But it was his blood. His blood. His blood. His blood.

I started back running. The tent was positioned so that the back half could not be seen from where Paul was standing. It was supposed to give me privacy if I needed to step out; it was supposed to keep Paul from seeing my dress. It gave me the perfect escape route. If only an unforeseen werewolf hadn't been there blocking my path. _I had hit Embry_. I was such a psycho.

There were no people in the direction I was going. I was vaguely aware that Embry was following me. No, not just Embry, there was another someone. Sam, my brother, my alpha. I went deeper into the line of woods that neared the cliff. I could feel branches grab my dress, trying to hold me back. The woods were on Paul's side. Everyone was on his side. It wasn't until I slowed that I realized I was crying. I was closer to the ocean here. The cliffs weren't as steep, and I could barely see the chairs set up above. No one could see me. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling bone cold, and incredibly stupid. The wind that hit my face carried drops of salt water. It was as if the fire in my mind was being doused and I was slowly coming back to reality. Maybe I was crazy after all.

"Evelyn." Sam spoke quietly, trying not to scare off the prey that I acted like, "We have to go back. Everyone's waiting."

"I feel like the boy who cried wolf. He lied every time and then the one time he tells the truth nobody listens." A fine mist now covered my face and I could already tell my curls were straightening, "Nobody's listening, Sam. Not you. Not mom. Not Paul. No one."

"Marriage is not the end of the world." His warm hand clasped my shoulder, "No one's forced you here. You came on your own. Now you want out?"

"I never wanted in, that's the problem."

"Don't you love him?"

"Of course I do. I _know_ I promised him I'd marry him. I said yes, I bought a gown, but the truth is, I don't think I should have to marry him. Everything we have is so permanent anyway. I'm not going anywhere, he's not going anywhere. We could stay together forever. What does a marriage certificate have to do with any of that? Why do I need a piece of paper to prove I love him? Why do I need to stand in front of others and say a vow I know I'd keep even if we never stood there in the first place? I just don't get it. The thought makes my chest hurt, it makes part of me so angry…"

"What about what Paul wants?"

I thought about that, really, truly thought about it, "Paul…wants us to play human. I think…I think he forgets sometimes. I think he forgets I'm one of you. If anything, I'm less human and more wolf, more animalistic."

"You're young, it'll pass."

I held up my hand, "I want Paul to be happy. I know he wants to marry me and if I'm gonna continue telling the truth, I don't think marriage is right for me. Not right now anyway. It's just too fast, I haven't even known him a year. When I start thinking about that, I realize I barely even know Paul. It's silly. We're soulmates and I'm being old-fashioned." I gripped Sam's hand, "Like you said, I'm young. I'm just a kid, Sam."

He sighed and stepped in front of me, "Why didn't you talk to him about this?"

"Because…he just gets so happy when talking about the future and Leah already hates me for wanting to reject the 'werewolf dream' as she put it.

"What's Leah got to do with this?"

"Nothing." I blinked. Maybe Leah played a tiny part. I was getting her dream, when I wanted nothing more than for things to stay exactly the same.

Sam looked past me, toward the way we came and said, "Good luck." He patted me twice on the head and started to leave.

I turned, "Where are—oh."

Paul stood there, hands buried in his pockets, his neck tucked to his chest, "I always wondered how you truly felt. Guess I know now."

"You heard."

"I'm always pushing what I want on you, aren't I?"

"It's not-"

"You want to get married later or not at all. I get that. What I don't get is how you could let it go on for so long. Today we're supposed to get married and I come to find out you never wanted to in the first place. All to placate me, huh? Great job, Evelyn. Well done."

His bitterness hit me like a whip, "How could I tell you something like that? How could I? How does someone say they don't want to get married?"

"Very easily!" He growled, then ground his teeth together, "Instead you left me at the alter. It would have been so easy for you to say let's wait. All you had to do was talk to me."

"I'm sorry."

He closed the distance and pressed his cheek to the side of my head, "I knew you would chicken out." I jerked slightly, but he just wrapped his arms around me. I could feel the tension in his body, taut as a bow, "I knew I was taking a risk. At least you showed up. I didn't think you would."

"It's kind of hard not to when Emily and Kim are involved. Next time…next time I'll definitely walk down the aisle for you…"

"Next time? You want there to be a next time?" Paul pulled back slightly so he could see my face, "You aren't just saying that?"

A guilty look slipped onto my face, "I'll tell you in a few years…?"

"What on earth am I going to do with you?"

I buried my face into his shoulder and took a deep breath, "Keep me? Love me? Stay with me always?"

"All of the above." His lips were on my temple and I turned my head and was met with a tender kiss that spelled everything. "You look beautiful, Evelyn." Paul's eyes crinkled up as he took in my form, "But I thought you said it was white?"

I looked down at the brown, muddied half of my dress, "It was." My poor dress was ruined, but I hoped a good dry-cleaning would fix it. I wouldn't tell Paul, or anyone for that matter, that next time we did this I would reuse the dress. It was tailored to fit me just right and I _had_ to look like a drowned dog right now, so I bet Paul wouldn't even remember what it looked like in a few years. "Say, how did you find out I left?"

"Embry. Said you punched him, but his nose had already healed."

"No evidence."

He lifted my hand and took a look at my knuckle, "This speaks volumes." It had dried blood coated in the cracks of my skin.

"He deserved it. Embry always deserves it."

Paul shook his head and gave a small grin, "Now we have to go back and explain why the wedding is cancelled."

I groaned, "At least there's the food…?"

"At least there's the food." He agreed.

* * *

The reason I decided to go ahead and post this was because I kept getting such sweet reviews.

Thanks everyone for reading WoP. I can't promise there will be more of these, but I do want to write my alternate endings. If you want, you can throw some scenarios at me that you'd like Paul and Evie to be in. I like writing crack you guys~!  
I am, however, writing a spin off story called Whispers of Promise: The Wishing Well. :D Same characters, different story line, love lines, and such.  
Happy New Year and I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.


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